


Malice in Wonderland

by nicnac363



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Alice in Wonderland Fusion, Alternate Universe - No Kwamis, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-06 20:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8768104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicnac363/pseuds/nicnac363
Summary: Marinette, the wielder of the powerful Ladybug Miraculous, returns to a radically changed Wonderland after a decade spent trapped in a mental asylum. Fighting card soldiers and akumatized citizens at every turn, she and the other Miraculous users must band together to defeat the new King of Hearts and restore peace once and for all. American McGee's Alice AU





	1. Doctor's Case Log

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the content or characters from Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir or American McGee's Alice.

_“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."  
\- Albert Einstein -_

Rutledge Private Clinic and Asylum Casebook

Patient: Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Date Admitted: 13 November 1864

Physician: Caline Bustier

 

4 November 1864

            I received word that a new patient will be arriving at the asylum within the next few weeks and that she is to be assigned to my care. The file contains little information about the girl other than the basics.

            Marinette is a mere child of eight who has been in nearby St. Valentine’s Hospital recuperating from injuries sustained from a fire that destroyed her family’s home. It appears that the incident not only left her physically damaged, but mentally as well.

            I’m sure if I were to escape my childhood home only to hear the screams of my dying loved ones still trapped inside I would be left mentally scarred too.

 

13 November 1864 

            Marinette arrived at the asylum today. I could see immediately why the state did not want to release her into the foster care system. It was apparent from the moment I viewed her – lying in a trance-like dementia on a stretcher – that she was not in a sane state. When she was brought inside it was discovered that she can stand on her own, even if she maintains the same eerie stare, as if she were no longer a part of this world.

            I believed her to be incapable of actual movement until orderlies attempted to remove all her personal items as is procedure when admitting new patients. There was some sort of... conflict when the child’s earrings were being removed. It happened so quickly no one was sure Marinette had even moved to strike (indeed she was in the same spot, holding the same blank stare when I turned to look at her) but the only explanation for the injuries the attendants received would be for movement to have occurred. It goes without saying that she has been allowed to keep possession of the earrings (they must hold some sort of special sentimental value that I might be able to use for future treatments). I now have the feeling that this may not be as simple as a case of post-traumatic stress disorder after all.

 

14 November 1864

            The only other possession Marinette had was a stuffed rabbit. I have sealed it away in her storage locker until I can put together a therapy program for which I may use it. Seeing as it is the only surviving relic of her past besides the earrings, I may be able to evoke a response from her if I return it at a strategic time.

            She has remained completely mute and rarely moves, preferring to stare off into imaginary places. It is not that her gaze is vacant… she stares as one does when one’s mind is elsewhere and the eyes find a point of focus unconsciously; even though that point is not what one is thinking about. I have begun a regimen of potions on her. These treatments have to be forced down her throat at present, but maybe one day she will just learn to accept that what I am doing here will help her on her road to recovery.

            I have forgotten to mention something else I thought odd when the child first arrived. She has no scars. The fire was less than a year ago, yet by looking at her you would never guess that she had been through such a tragedy. She was, of course, not caught up in the main fire. She escaped the house, but failed to run far enough away to avoid being caught under a falling piece of timber that was alight with flames. That she didn’t die under its weight alone was a miracle, but this lack of scars is perplexing to say the least. Her skin is completely unscathed and is even an unhealthy looking milky white, so pale that it seems to glow.

 

1 February 1865

            The treatments are not working. Besides the potions I have tried a variety of other procedures to see if I can evoke even the simplest of responses from her. The shock therapies, which have been known to make even the most crazed sociopaths cry out, elicited not even a slight whimper. When she was confined to a drawer in the asylum morgue for several hours, a treatment that usually has patients begging for freedom due to claustrophobia and the hallucinations seen in the complete darkness, she came out in the same state, with eyes wide open that stare at nothing. I have even resorted to bleeding her in a vain attempt to flush the dementia out of her. Nothing is working. And when I visit her for our therapy sessions all she does is turn her frightening eyes on me. The whole session feels like some sort of contest that I will never win.

 

10 March 1865   

            I’m not sure how much longer I will be able to last.

            Every session I sit through with this child is harder than the last. It feels as though those blue eyes are burrowing into my soul.

 

13 May 1865

            It seems fitting that I leave this wretched girl to another doctor’s care on this unlucky day (it is a Friday). After months of unsuccessful treatments and silent sessions I can see that nothing I try will work. This child is broken.

            I knew it was time to give up the case when she spoke that rhyme to me. I must be going as crazy as she. I swear I did not see her lips move as the voice came to my mind, but there was no other in the room and I certainly have never heard that particular piece of wicked poetry before. But if she did not move her mouth, how then did she speak to me? I suppose I will never know; it, like all Marinette’s other secrets, will remain locked inside her mind until the day she defeats her own inner demons. No one in this reality holds the key to her recovery, of that I am sure.

            I have decided to move on and have accepted a position at another institution. As long as that girl resides here, I shan’t return.

_The casebook of Dr. Bustier has been re-examined and returned to the bookshelf containing the casebooks of the other 33+ psychiatrists that have attempted to diagnose and cure the patient M. Dupain-Cheng over the last 10 years she has resided here. After this audit it has become apparent that this will remain an unsolved case. I recommend that Dupain-Cheng no longer be given an assigned psychiatrist. Any clinician who wishes to work with her will have to specifically request her case. Heaven knows we can’t afford to keep losing our best doctors like this._

_Signed,_

                        _Dr. Damocles the Superintendent and Head Psychiatrist of Rutledge_

_Date: 24 September 1874_

 

!@#$%^&*()(*^%$#@@#$%^&*()(*&^%$#@!@#$%^&*()(*&^%$#@!@#$%^&*()(*&^)(*

 

Just a bit of background on our main character. If you don’t feel like doing the math, Marinette is 18 years old when this story takes place.

 


	2. Prologue

_“The journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step.”_

Date: 3rd year of the reign of the 2nd King of Hearts (aka 1874 on the “real” side of the mirror) 

The Cheshire Cat was not happy. He had of course, not been happy for a long time now, but that was not the point.

He was currently situated on the topmost branch of the tallest tree in Wonderland surveying the damage around him.

He had been noticing of late that Wonderland was becoming too twisted and dark, even for his tastes, which had always run on the more wicked side. And, although he didn’t want to admit it, he had not expected the new King of Hearts and his consorts to be so cruel, even if it had been a hostile takeover. The new ruler certainly wasn't sparing any mercies and his indecencies towards of all the land's creatures had increased exponentially in the last few years. It was as though the King knew what the cat and his comrades were up to. At this rate, Wonderland would cease to exist by year’s end and the cat could not have that.

The Cheshire Cat stretched his skeletal gray form out before sitting up on the branch. In doing so, he momentarily glanced down at his new body and proceeded to let out a heavy sigh.

Once upon a time he had been purple, striped, and rather plump. He’d had large, gleaming pearly whites, perfectly manicured claws, and his riddles and prose had stumped the best of them.

Now he was 30 lbs. lighter and so thin that each of his bones could be seen under his matted, dirty, gray coat. The black designs twisting along his body gave him a slightly Egyptian look that complemented the earring in his chewed up left ear. Even his teeth were changed; sharper, yellowed, and flecked permanently with blood.

However, this “makeover” had not been his doing. A great Transformation had swept the land ten years previously and plunged everything from the forests to the seas into a gruesome gloom. This had been after the new King had taken over by using his dark powers. The Transformation had converted every creature in the land into more malicious and darker forms of the originals and all the previously akumatized Wonderlandians fit right in to the more darkened landscape.

At least the cat’s behavior hadn’t been significantly altered. Most of the creatures in Wonderland hadn’t been so lucky.

But now wasn’t the time for extrospection. The Cheshire Cat flicked his glowing eyes over the ground below and jumped down. The Eiffel was a very tall tree, but cats always land on their feet, and he knew the fall would not injure him.

About halfway through his descent, when he entered the outer perimeter of the magical light that was emanating from a figure bound to the tree, he felt himself grow fat and fluffy. It was a strange sensation, but one he had gotten used to over the years. Because of its height, the Eiffel was the best tree to survey Wonderland from and the Cheshire Cat made it his business to know what was going on in every corner of that realm at all times.

Once his paws were firmly planted on the ground, he stretched once more and began traveling in a Southward direction, pausing for an instant to glance disgustedly over his shoulder at the being tied to his favorite hangout.

_‘I can’t believe he’s supposed to be a crucial part of the Savior’s group. At least the protections around him have continued to hold.’_

With a swish of his tail, the Cheshire Cat began his journey once more, moving faster this time, as if he felt that time was suddenly of the essence. As soon as he passed through the perimeter of the mystical barrier he felt himself grow thin and mangy once more. He gave a quick shake as if to remove any trace of the temporary return to his former self.

It had been many years coming, but the Cheshire Cat had decided that things had reached the point where a serious discussion with the White Rabbit concerning the destruction of this tainted world and its evil creator was required. He could feel that the time to act was now and that the Savior was not long in being found and brought back to Wonderland.

 

!@#$%^&*()!@#$%^&*()!@#$%^&*(!@#$%^&*()!@#$%^&*()!@#$%^*()!@#$%^&*()!@

 

A/N: Getting into the meat of the story next chapter. 


	3. Down the Rabbit Hole

_“I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked._

_“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat. “We’re all mad here.”_

_- **Lewis Carroll**_

****

Marinette was not crazy, but it seemed she was the only one who knew that particular fact in the hellhole known as Rutledge Asylum. Anyone who looked at her would have to agree that she looked pretty decent for someone who had spent 10 years of their life in a place where most residents couldn’t even remember what sunlight looked like.

Cells at Rutledge, or what the staff positively referred to as “personal centers for introspection and character enhancement,” were equipped with a single bed (consisting of a thin, spring mattress; a small pillow that the patients believed to be stuffed with rocks; and worn, dirty sheets) and, depending on your state of mental health, you might be given a small bedside table, shelves, or, in special cases, a small black and white television set.

But our main focus is Marinette, who wasn’t allowed anything but the basic bed, and her doctors were reluctant to give her even that. They were just waiting for the day she would strangle herself with a rope made from the sheets.

It wasn’t that Marinette was suicidal. It was just that Rutledge was known for its unorthodox methods of “treatment” and patients often resorted to suicide to escape the torturous procedures. Types of procedures that had been outlawed long-ago, such as shock treatments, solitary confinement in spaces no bigger than a body drawer in a morgue, lobotomies, and more. Patients were supposedly also used as guinea pigs for new drugs.

These were all just rumors of course, and even if they weren’t the government wasn’t going to do anything to help a bunch of nut jobs. But let’s get back to Marinette. All alone in her dinky, dripping, dark cell...

 

!@#$%^&*()

 

Her blue-black locks fell past her shoulders in straight, grimy-looking strands that appeared to have never felt running water let alone a comb. Her blue eyes resembled sapphires that needed a good polish and their cold, unfeeling stare had sent many a psychoanalyst packing. She had skin so pale that even in the dark she cast a ghostly glow. But the most noticeable thing about the girl’s appearance was the fact that she was wearing a pair of bright red earrings. Doctors had tried to pry them off of her when she had first become a permanent ward of the hospital, but Marinette had protested their removal with supernatural force. The conflict had ended up sending two attendees to the nearest emergency room. Marinette still felt a glow of pride at her excellent self-control. If it had happened a year earlier, before her grandfather had started rapidly advancing her training, the orderlies would have been nothing but bones turning to dust below ground.

But it wasn’t her appearance, although that was striking enough, which usually frightened her psychiatrists and doctors away. It was the fact that she hadn’t uttered a single sound since the dark night she had arrived at the hospital’s door all those years ago. Through all the “treatments,” therapy sessions, and cold nights with only nightmares for company, Marinette had remained silent. The doctors could not find the cure and everyone was waiting for the day when she would just fade away, leaving the hospital as silently as she had lived in it.

 

!@#$%^&*()

 

“Hello, Marinette!” a grandfatherly figure said brightly as it entered Marinette’s room, pushing a handcart that emitted shrill squeaks every few seconds as it rolled along the stone corridors. “I brought your potions,” the man added hobbling towards the bed where Marinette was laying on her back.

“Come on, open up.” The man, whose nametag read “Master Fu,” got no response as usual and carefully leaned over the motionless eighteen-year-old.

Master Fu had been at the asylum for decades and was one of the few uncorrupted staff members. He did his best to administer medications to prevent pain or induce sleep in patients before they underwent emotionally and physically painful “treatment” at the hands of the doctors, but as his age continued to wear on him, he was finding it more and more difficult to help the patients to maintain what little sanity they entered Rutledge with. Master Fu also happened to be the only person who had been able to care for Marinette since the moment the girl had arrived, grimly watching as she was passed from psychiatrist to psychiatrist.

Master Fu reached his old hands down and turned the girl’s face up. “I don’t want to force these down your throat, but I will if I have to. It’s also your nutrition for the day and kwami knows you could use all the meager calories it has to offer.”

Marinette opened her mouth slowly and shifted her dull eyes to the old man. Master Fu raised the cup and poured the foul, green liquid down the girl’s throat.

“I swear I don’t know why Dr. Mendeleev even bothers,” Master Fu stood-up as quickly as his old bones would allow and headed back towards his cart. “You don’t speak, or eat much. Treatments don’t work and medicines probably do nothing but eat away at your insides. If she wants to help, she should just leave you alone! We both know that she won’t stick around long enough to even begin to hint at a breakthrough. Unfortunately, it’s all been done before with you…” He trailed off, his gaze unfocused as he reflected on all the “treatments” he had failed to prevent. He stared forlornly down at his bare left wrist where a faint tan lines could still be seen after all these years. 

Done with that little rant to his unresponsive audience, Master Fu reached down and grabbed something from the bottom half of the cart. He gazed down at it before turning around and setting it in the crook of Marinette’s left arm.

“They recovered this from the remains of your house. I believe you slept with it at St. Valentine’s during your recovery. It was one of the two possessions you still had when they brought you to Rutledge and it's been in storage since your arrived, ” Master Fu explained though Marinette had asked no questions. “I thought it was time something from your past was returned to you, and that maybe it could bring some life to you. I know I couldn’t always be there for you but I tried my best for the sake of your grandfather’s memory. To think you are the last living in that great line and I the last in mine. I always had hope that you would come around and I would find in you the apprentice I never fathered. The point is, what little protection I could offer won’t be available much longer. My age is such that they can force me to retire and they are eager to do so considering that I am the only one left to fight on your behalf when the supervisors discuss euthanasia. If there is any chance of waking you, it needs to be soon. Marinette. You need to remember who you are!”

The old man gave a slow, knowing smile before opening the door and pushing the squeaking cart out into the silent hallway.

Marinette heard the click that signaled that her cell door was locked and turned to look at the stuffed animal that had been placed in her arms.

It was a bunny that, once upon a time, had been white with perfect black button eyes and a cute pink triangle for a nose. Considering what it had gone through, it didn’t seem too badly off. One eye was now hanging loosely from its thread, the bunny had turned an ashy color, and the material also felt more worn, but apart from that, the bunny was still as it always had been.

It had been a present from her grandpa when she was three and it hadn’t left her side until she had been admitted to Rutledge and been stripped of it. It had even been with her on that horrible night ten years ago. The night that had landed her in this grimy cell with no one but herself for company. The night that had taken away everything she knew and loved. The night that the bakery and her home above had burned down with her family still trapped inside.

 

!@#$%^*()

 

Marinette looked down at her newly returned friend and then hugged it close. A few silent tears trekked down her face before she wiped them off. She didn’t want anyone coming in here while she was showing emotion. They would just try to get her talking about her feelings and the past. Marinette didn’t need that.

She lay back down on the bed, clutching the rabbit to her chest, and attempted to get some rest. Suddenly, she felt the bunny shift in her arms.

Sitting up quickly she held the bunny under its armpits and away from her. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she waited for her breathing to slow. After several long seconds she brought the toy closer to her face to peer into its eyes.

The bunny straightened its head and gazed back at her before speaking in a familiar voice, “Marinette… we need you...”

Her defensive instinct was to throw the bunny across the room, but the bed dropped out from under her and she felt herself falling.

 

!@#$%^Y&U*()

 

 _‘This seems so familiar,’_ Marinette thought as she fell through the darkness.

She could make out different items around her as she fell, including cards, jacks, a ticking clock, and a family photo, whose family she couldn’t tell, but she turned her eyes away from the sight all the same.

Before Marinette knew it, she had passed all the things floating around her, and had landed on her butt in a pile of leaves in a forest.

She stood up cautiously and proceeded to brush some dead leaves off of her clothes. She was pleased to note that she was no longer wearing the traditional off-white gown, complete with patient ID number stitched on the upper right shoulder, that was required wear for all Rutledge patients.

Instead she had on a dark grey dress that puffed out at the bottom because of a single white petticoat and a white apron that sported two front pockets upon which were embroidered different symbols in black thread. She also had on a pair of black and white striped mid-thigh high stockings and a pair of black combat boots that reached just below her knees. After quickly checking to make sure her earrings were still firmly affixed to her earlobes, she cast her eyes about her surroundings and smiled.

 

!@#$%^&*()(*&^%$#@!@#$%^&*()(*^%$#@!@#$%^&*()(*^%$#@#$%^&*()(*&^%$#@!

 

Next time: **Playtime**.

 

 


	4. Playtime

_“Don’t get mad, get even.”_

_- **Joseph Kennedy (Sept. 6)**_

****

“And what are you smirking about?” came a purring voice from behind Marinette.

She had finished looking around by this time and had been pleased to note that she was in her childhood fantasy world: Wonderland.

To say it had changed was an understatement. She couldn’t remember ever having been in this particular forest as a seven-year-old, but she knew Wonderland when she saw it, even if it was a warped and darker version.

The trees were gnarled and knotted, their branches twisted and deformed. Not only were most of the trees covered with damp, rotting bark, but huge fungus colonies sprouted over the bases of many as well. The majority of roots were not in the ground; preferring to jut up and make it nearly impossible for travelers to traverse the woods without tripping at least enough times to break a leg. And the canopy that the topmost branches formed above blocked about fifteen sixteenths of the sky making it very dark down on the forest floor indeed. 

The ground was littered with bits of dead foliage and every once in a while some creepy crawly slithered around under the mess.

It was also unusually quiet in the forest. There was the occasional creak of branches and screech of an unknown animal but apart from that, nothing.

Overall, it didn’t seem like the nicest place in the world to be, but Marinette didn’t mind one bit. Anywhere that wasn’t Rutledge was good enough for her. And this place was made all the better by the fact that her old “guide,” the Cheshire Cat, had just stepped into her line of sight.

 

!@#$%^&*()

 

“Just glad to be back is all,” Marinette replied after taking in the cat’s new appearance. “If you’re the welcoming committee, then this place has really gone to the dogs, if you’ll forgive the expression.”

The cat stretched its trademark grin wide and let out a low purr, “Ha, ha. You’re still as witty as ever I see. But it is not dogs, however disagreeable those creatures are, that have turned Wonderland into this wasteland, it is mostly the work of the new King of Hearts: Hawkmoth.”

Marinette arched one eyebrow, “A new king, I thought you would have switched to a democracy after that last queen.”

“Now is not the time for jokes,” the cat narrowed his eyes at her slightly. “The new king has used an ancient power to spread evil over the land and no one here has been able to stop him. The White Rabbit and I have brought you here once more to save Wonderland in its time of need. Do you accept?”

Marinette gave the cat a shrewd look, “And how am I supposed to manage that exactly?”

“You have your earrings of course and there will be toys available for your use along the way,” the cat shrugged its shoulders nonchalantly in a manner that no normal cat could have managed. 

“ _Toys_?” Marinette said in a voice that clearly said,“You must be joking.” Given the type of weapon she had trained with as a child, she shouldn’t have been so surprised.

“But of course,” the cat replied patronizingly. “We wouldn’t send our Savior out unarmed would we?” 

At this the cat waved his paw and a knife appeared, floating in front of Marinette at waist height.

“This is the Vorpal Blade,” the cat explained smoothly. “It’ll be the first non-spotted toy in your arsenal. The rest you will have to discover on your own. Now, I have to be going.”

“So soon,” Marinette pouted her lips and then smirked, ruining the illusion of sadness. “But we have soooo much to catch up on.”

“Just take the knife, girly,” the cat flicked an ear in agitation and began to fade; first tail, then paws, next body, and soon after his head. “Follow the path to the sacred clearing,” the cat’s floating smile said. “And soon you will find your first new playmate, which reminds me…” 

There was a slight shimmer in the air in front of Marinette and a thick black leather collar with a large bell attached fell from it. She caught the collar and looked up at the cat’s disappearing smile. “You’ll need this to tame him. Please try not to get killed.”

The cat’s grin completely faded, and Marinette was left standing alone in the Dark Woods.

 

)(*^%$#@!

 

Marinette decided to follow the path to the right – although considering the physics of Wonderland it didn’t really matter since both directions probably led to the same place anyway –after tucking the Vorpal Blade safely into her right boot.

After the first 5 minutes of her journey, she realized that it was probably going to take longer then she had first guessed. The roots haphazardly jutting out across the path made it virtually impossible to travel faster than 3 feet a minute.

_‘This is way too frustrating,’_ Marinette thought angrily as she tripped over her fifth root in two minutes. ‘ _There has got to be some easier way to do this.’_

“Spots on!” she cried out.

She was immediately engulfed in a bright pink light. Upon opening her eyes, she found, as she knew she would, that her dress was now bright red and sporting black spots. Her apron and petticoat had turned black and her thigh highs were red with black spots. A black and red domino mask had appeared on her face and an oversized yo-yo was hitched to her hip. The final touch was that her hair had been magically pulled back into a ponytail by a long crimson ribbon. 

It had been a long time since she had used the earrings and it felt good to be suited up. She unclipped the yo-yo and flung it forward so that it wrapped around a distant tree branch. She gave a sharp tug and was yanked into the air. 

Travelling would be a breeze now.

 

!@#$%^&*()

 

Nearly 15 minutes of eerily quiet travel later, she felt that she was drawing closer to her destination and soon spied some sort of light pushing its way through a dense circle of brush a few feet ahead. She dropped down to the ground and returned the yo-yo to her waist, choosing to walk the last few feet.

It got greener and warmer with each step she took, and Ladybug closed the distance between the brush and her hands, prying the branches apart so that she could step into the clearing.

Breaking into the bright light caught Ladybug off guard and she had to blink her eyes a few times before they were fully adjusted. When she finally got used to the light, she gasped.

Nothing in this clearing had been altered. There was one gargantuan tree in the dead center of the clearing that was surrounded by green grass on all sides. The bushes Ladybug had passed through were part of a circle formed around the clearing, which separated the rest of the forest from this haven. But, the thing that had caused our heroine to gasp was the figure that was tied to the tree by huge creeping vines wrapped around most of his body. 

He looked human and about her age, maybe a year older. Shoulder-length blonde hair fell in straight tendrils around his face and slightly shadowed his features. Despite this, Ladybug could see enough of him to note that he was ridiculously handsome. With a thudding heart, she began to walk forward while taking in the rest of his appearance.

He was wearing a white, soldier's jacket with silver trimmings and sharply contrasting black pants. It was the kind of uniform that Ladybug had seen in books about the American civil war when they let her go to the asylum library. Instead of looking dorky it made him look like prince charming.

That’s when Ladybug noticed her hair. It had formed itself into perfect, bouncy pigtails tied with red ribbon.

_‘What the hell?’_ Ladybug thought. She reached into her boot and pulled out the Vorpal Blade. Or, what was supposed to be the Vorpal Blade but was now a hand mirror. She had been planning on using the blade as a reflective surface anyway, so she used the mirror to take in her new appearance. 

Staring back at her was a girl she barely recognized. Despite the mask still firmly affixed to her face, Ladybug could see that the girl in the mirror was fresh-faced with rosy cheeks and sparkling blue eyes. The newly formed pigtails framing her head gave her face a far more jovial appearance.

Ladybug looked down and found that her boots had changed into perfectly polished black Mary Janes, while her stockings had morphed into white knee high socks trimmed with lace. Her dress, which had gotten a bit dirty during her trek through the forest, was now clean and pressed, and the single petticoat that had barely given her dress volume was now a full balloon of chiffon and tulle. 

_‘This clearing must be able to cancel out Hawkmoth’s power_... _If this is what I look like in this world when it’s pure, what does that boy really look like in this nightmare Wonderland?’_

Still holding the mirror, Ladybug began to walk towards the tree again. She felt a strange sense of foreboding as she reached the giant tree’s roots.

When she reached the base of the tree, she pushed the mirror back down into her boot, and climbed the thick roots to the trapped boy. She could feel a slight pulse in the air that grew stronger with each step she took until she swore she could feel the boy’s heartbeat when she was within 3 feet of him.

She reached up slowly and hesitated. Was she going to regret this? She shook her head and smirked. _‘The Cheshire Cat did say this guy was my new playmate.’_ Decision made, she tore through the vines.

 

!@#$%^&*()

 

_‘How disappointing,’_ Ladybug pouted.

The vines had come away easily with no theatrics, and the boy was still dead asleep (although he had fallen on top of Ladybug and the two of them had rolled down the tree roots, coming to a stop 5 feet from the tree’s base). The only thing that was changing was the light. The clearing’s borders had started to shrink as darkness began closing in again.

When the darkness reached Ladybug she felt her hair go back to its grungy asylum state and the return of the comfy padding of her combat boots.

_‘If I’m back to ‘normal,’ then the boy must be too…’_

Ladybug reached over and rolled him face-up. What she saw made her take a sharp intake of breath.

While his overall facial features hadn’t changed, the boy’s hair had become shaggier. He also appeared to have fangs protruding from the corners of his mouth. He sported a mask similar in shape to her own, but completely black in color. Scanning the rest of his body she found that the most remarkable changes were the two fuzzy black triangles perched atop his head and the tail that had apparently sprouted from his lower back.

His clothes had also morphed. Now his outfit looked more like that of the pirates she had seen in books about swashbuckling buccaneers. He had on a plain black shirt underneath an unbuttoned, calf-length black coat with the sleeves rolled up to a three-quarters length. The piping on the jacket was an astoundingly bright lime green which popped out vividly against all the black while all the other embellishments, including the coin-sized buttons, were a comparatively more toned down silver. His trousers were also black, mid-calf length, tattered, and loose fitting. Much to her surprise he was barefoot, and the soles of his feet looked callous and worn. The nails on his fingers and toes were long and sharp, more claw than nail.

That’s when she noticed the black metal band adorning the boy’s right ring finger. She lifted his hand to examine the ring more closely and saw that it was emblazoned with a bright green cat’s paw on top. Suspecting that it might hold power similar to her earrings, she reached for it and made to slip it off his finger. That’s when his beautiful emerald eyes shot open.

 

!@#$%^&*()

 

Did Ladybug get a, “Thanks for rescuing me from that awful prison, my fair lady. I pledge my allegiance and heart to you and only you,” like in every fairy tale she had ever read? Oh no, she had to rescue the guy that would viciously attack her upon waking. 

As soon as his eyes had snapped open, the boy had done a backward summersault and leapt away from Ladybug, only to yell some weird mumbo jumbo and fling an attack at her.

She had rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the black blades headed for her and had pulled the Vorpal Blade out of her boot as she did so.

Now the pair was standing and facing each other, Ladybug holding the knife and the boy crouched and flexing his sharp, and incredibly dangerous looking, claws.

“Come back to finish me off have you?” he yelled at her. “I fell for deception once, but this time, it won’t be my turn to suffer.” With that he sprang at Ladybug with inhuman speed and swiped at the place her head would have been if she hadn’t fallen ungracefully to the ground to avoid it.

As soon as he had passed overhead she stood quickly and turned to face him, prepared for the next strike.

“Listen uh… Boy. I don’t know what the new king and his followers look like, but believe me, I’m not one of them. My name is Ladybug, got it?”

He seemed to hesitate for the slightest moment before regaining his composure. “True, you don’t look like an akuma and you smell weird, but how can I know that you aren’t a new victim, posing as a Miraculous user, who was sent to finish me off?”

Ladybug didn’t have time to express her outrage at being told she smelled funny as he sprang at her again. This time she stood her ground. She raised the knife and used it to deflect the claws coming at her. But he was much stronger and more agile than her and she found herself being pushed back into a nearby pine. A particularly good hit sent the knife spinning from her grasp. She missed getting her face ripped off by a fraction of an inch when she dodged the boy’s other hand by such a small margin that she ended up with oozing scratches on her left cheek.

She slid quickly down the trunk of the tree and somersaulted through her attacker’s legs towards safety. She got up and quickly ran amid the roots of the huge tree she had rescued the boy from, unclipping her yo-yo from her waist as she went.

“You think I can’t get you in there, princess?” He jumped over and began to hack his way through her root defenses.

_‘Enough is enough.’_ Ladybug thought. _‘Time to pull out the big guns.’_ With that she cried out, “Lucky Charm!” extending the yo-yo straight up into the air as she did so. There was a flash of pink light and a second yo-yo dropped into her open palm. At this point, the boy had almost made it into her crawl space.

As soon as he broke through, she threw both of the yo-yos towards him. He managed to deflect one, which quickly returned to her palm, but he hadn’t noticed the second yo-yo in time to get his claws back up. It struck him squarely in the chest. The impact caused him to fly backwards and he landed on his ass several feet away.

“I guess you’re not as vulnerable as you look,” he smirked as he sat up and rubbed his chest where the yo-yo had struck him. When he was back on his feet he raised his right hand into the air and brought it down in a sweeping motion as he yelled, “Cat Scratch!”

The same black blades of light that had chased Ladybug before came flying from his claws, aimed straight at her face. She quickly ducked sideways into another group of elevated roots and watched as the blades left deep gouges in the bark she had just been standing in front of.

The boy let out a low hiss of frustration. “Hide behind those roots while you can,” he teased. “They won’t be around for much longer.” He raised his right hand into the air again but this time he shouted, “Cataclysm!” and an ominous looking black light gathered quickly around his hand.

He ran forward and slapped his palm against the roots Ladybug had most recently ducked behind. A sickly brown color spread from the point of contact outwards along a large area of roots. There was a loud snap and all the discolored roots collapsed in decay. The dark force continued to spread along the bark, tainting the entire tree and causing the gentle giant to vanish in an explosion of wood chips.

Satisfied, the boy looked towards the spot where his prey had been only moments before only to find that she was gone. His senses alerted him in time to turn around and grab Ladybug’s wrists as she tried to wrap the collar the Cheshire Cat had given her around his neck, both of her yo-yos now firmly attached to waist. 

“Trying to bring me down with a necklace?” he asked smirking at her. “You really are full of surprises.”

He dug his claws into her wrists. She let out a muffled cry as blood began to trickle from the eight pinpricks he had inflicted. He dug in a little deeper and she was forced to drop the collar on the ground between their feet.

“I’d love to stay and play, but I’ve got an appointment with the king that I can’t miss,” the boy said in a low growl before he kicked her legs out from under her and released his grip on her in the same instant so that he would be free to drive his claws into her heart. 

As his hand flew closer to its intended target, he heard a whooshing noise as though something were speeding through the air towards his back. The Vorpal Blade was charging midair at him from behind, forcing him to leap away from his intended victim. Ladybug had managed to fling her yo-yo out and grab the blade from where it had stuck into the ground several feet away. The string had wrapped around the hilt allowing her to tug it free and fling it at the boy’s back in one smooth motion.

The boy continued to avoid the knife’s thrusts as it flew at him again and again as Ladybug continued to use the yo-yo to throw the knife out and snatch it back. She turned her focus back to the collar. If she couldn’t put it on by hand…

Ladybug threw the second yo-yo towards the collar and managed to grab it with the string as well. Since the boy was busy parrying the knife’s deft strokes he didn’t notice the collar flying through the air towards him. As soon as the collar had loosely settled on his neck, Ladybug ran forward to fasten the buckle with a quick tug. With that task completed, both yo-yos dropped from her exhausted hands.

Ladybug fell to her knees panting, trying in vain to recover enough energy to stand since the boy seemed completely unaffected by his new accessory. He looked toward the breathless girl and walked slowly over to her, a chilling smirk spread wide across his handsome face.

As he raised his hand again to deliver the death blow. Marinette caught sight of his ears once more. Suddenly, the knowledge that she needed flooded her brain and brought a smile to her lips. The gesture caused the confused boy to pause for the second she needed to get out the words necessary to tame him.

That task completed, she fell the rest of the way to the forest floor, completely spent.

 

!@#$%^&*()(*&^%$#@!~!!@#$%^&*()(*&^%$#@!~!@#$%^&*()(*&^%$#@!~!@#$%^&*

 

What a wonderful first meeting, next time: **Pandemonium**.


	5. Pandemonium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually started writing this fanfiction in high school for the Inuyasha fandom. Therefore I feel I must warn readers that, the first 7-ish chapters (what I had finished writing before I lost motivation) will have many parallels to Inuyasha, despite heavy amounts of revision. I thought about picking it up and finishing it as an Inuyasha fanfiction, but knew I still wouldn't be motivated to finish since my current obsession is Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir. What I had finished writing of this story has literally been sitting untouched on my external hard-drive for almost a decade.
> 
> Also, for clarity's sake, I try to always refer to Marinette and Adrien as Ladybug and Chat Noir respectively whenever they are transformed.

_“I'm not afraid of chaos and I'm happy talking to strangers. I really love not knowing where I'm going.”_    
**_-_** ** _Fiona Shaw -_**

Ladybug was only out for the few seconds it took for the words she had shouted to activate the collar and slam her frenemy’s face down into the ground at a bone-shattering 75 mph. Bone-shattering for any normal human anyway, but Ladybug had long figured out that her playmate was far from normal. True, she could detect the trace of the human he had been while pinned to the tree, but that part of him was warped by the power she suspected came from his ring. She vaguely remembered her grandfather telling her about other special jewelry, similar to her earrings, during her training sessions.

Her earrings gave a soft beep as she sat up and she heard an answering beep coming from the boy’s ring a few seconds later. Her arms and legs felt heavy. It had been a long time since she’d exerted herself this much.

Ladybug heaved herself up to a standing position and took a few wobbly steps in the direction of the Vorpal Blade before her legs finally firmed up and she was able to close the distance between herself and her toy without further issue.

Meanwhile, the cat-eared boy had just managed to stop eating dirt and was spewing a plethora of indistinguishable curses as he attempted to unbuckle the collar from around his neck. Every attempt he made caused the collar to glow a light pink before returning to its normal color.

“Hey, Lady! What the fuck is this??” He shouted in frustration turning to her while continuing to futilely tug on the collar in a pathetic attempt to snap it.

“A means of 'taming' you,” Ladybug replied quite simply, quoting the Cheshire Cat as a wry smile touched the corner of her mouth. “I guess my guide knew you’d be cranky when you woke up.”

“You think this stupid thing is gonna keep me from tearing you limb from limb?” the boy said menacingly as he sat up and prepared to pounce.

“Yes, considering that with the repetition of one simple phrase I could literally use you to dig a hole to...uh... the Wonderland equivalent of China,” she replied as she tucked the Vorpal Blade back into her boot and lifted the hem of her apron to dab at the blood slowing oozing down her cheeks and wrists.

 _‘Damn. Bastard got me pretty good,’_ she thought. A second beep sounded from her earrings followed quickly by a second beep from his ring.

At Ladybug’s purposeful display of putting the knife away to show just how safe she felt with him bound by the collar, the boy grew furious. _‘Who does this girl think she is?’_

Suddenly, a smile appeared between them in the clearing and soon after a pair of slitted eyes. The eyes looked from one teen to the other before the grin widened.

“I see you managed to survive and bind him to you,” the Cheshire Cat’s sharp, blood-flecked teeth voiced. “I never lost faith in you. Of course, only the power of the ladybug could activate that collar. We had to be sure that you still possess your capabilities, despite your woefully short training.”

“Right,” Ladybug replied tersely. “So are you going to tell me what I’m supposed to do with him now, or do I just blindly stumble upon that answer too?”

“Don’t be so catty with me, girly,” replied the disembodied mouth. “After all, I am the only true feline among us.” At this, the eyes flicked towards the catboy and glared at him with disapproval.

“Continue to follow the trail of the White Rabbit,” the Cheshire Cat commanded. “He will take you to a place where you will find more answers than I can give.”

“ _Can_? What’s stopping you? Cat got your tongue?” said the boy with a smirk.

“Oh, you think you’re so funny?” the cat’s mouth spat out. “I tire of all these knocks at my being. Once you clear the forest, the White Rabbit will be your aid.” And with that, the eyes and grin disappeared without so much as a pop.

The short silence that followed the cat’s departure was broken by a third beep from earrings and then ring.

“What’s that cat on about?” the boy asked, blinking at the place where the body parts had been. He turned his head towards Ladybug. “Explanations. Now.”

“How about you tell me who you are first? I already introduced myself, though I guess I should also give you my alter ego introduction considering my time is almost up: Marinette Dupain-Cheng, French citizen and certified lunatic.”

This didn’t elicit the laugh she had been going for, just a harder glare.

“Listen, chaton,” Ladybug said as she stomped over to him totally ignoring the still sharp and capable claws that would be within striking distance if her reflexes were not fast enough to get out the magic phrase in time. “Neither of us signed up for this, but here we are. I have been enlisted to defeat the King and from what you were yelling at me during our fight, you don’t care for the guy much either. So, you have two options. One, you can start acting like a civil being and we can work together to defeat our common enemy, or two, you and your sorry ass attitude can get the fuck away from me and leave me to my quest.”

As she spoke the latter half of this little speech, she raised her right hand and began emphasizing her words with little jabs of her index finger. It would have been made all the more dramatic by the flecks of blood flying from her wrist if her target hadn’t become so preoccupied. As soon as the boy had seen the red earrings in her earlobes he had stopped listening. The second she was done jabbering and he recovered his senses, his hands shot out to grab them.

“Bad Kitty!” Ladybug said quickly while backing out of arms reach. The catboy plummeted to the forest floor face first.

He was much quicker to release himself from the ground this time around, recovering in less than a minute’s span.

“Where did you get those?” he demanded angrily gesturing to the earrings.

“I’ve always had them,” Ladybug responded vaguely as she gave the right stud an unconscious spin, which she was wont to do when her hands needed a distraction. The earrings chose that moment to give off another quiet beep. Not long now until she dropped her transformation. _‘Hopefully the collar still works afterwards,”_ she thought a little uneasily.

“Right, and I’m the Prince of Hearts. Those are the earrings of the ladybug! I can tell that you’re not from Wonderland, so I don’t know how you came by the earrings, but I can tell that you don’t have nearly the amount of experience wielding their power that will be needed to defeat Hawkmoth. You should hand them over to me.”

“And now you’re demanding my Miraculous?” Ladybug said, throwing her arms up in frustration. “Ugh! I give up. You can just rot in this clearing. I’ll head on by myself, seems you’ve made your choice.”

Ladybug turned and stomped towards the edge of the clearing on the opposite side from where she had originally entered. Once she reached the edge, she unclipped the Lucky Charm yo-yo from her waist then threw it into the air with a cry of, “Miraculous Ladybug!” Swarms of ladybugs flew across the clearing repairing the damage done by their skirmish.

Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief when the wood chips scattered around the clearing gathered together to reform the gigantic tree. She’d been more upset about its destruction then the damage done to her own body. Thinking of which, she felt the wounds on her wrists and cheek close as the last of the swarm swirled about her before disappearing in a flash of pink light.

The boy watched her incredulously. He was not used to being talked to like he was a bratty teenager instead of the wielder of the powerful black cat Miraculous. He was not used to girls that looked as weak as this one holding power over him in any form. But most especially, he was not used to being so intrigued by a fellow human being.

For some reason he couldn’t explain, he could sense that this girl, this Marinette, was special. He took a depth breath to calm the furious whirl of emotions within and spoke to her retreating back. “Chat Noir. My name’s Chat Noir. At least until I de-transform. Then I’ll just be Adrien.”

She turned slowly, one foot just outside the edge of the clearing, and a true smile spread over her face for the first time in over a decade; although, with the dried blood still caking her cheeks and the soul-less opacity in her would-be gleaming sapphire eyes, it was more off-putting than reassuring.

Her earrings gave a final beep and there was another bright flash of pink light. Her mask, spots, and yo-yo vanished as the light receded and her dress returned to its original dark grey. “Well, Chat Noir,” the newly unmasked Marinette said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

A moment later, a final beep sounded from the ring on Chat’s finger and a warm, green light enveloped him. When the light receded, a boy who much more closely resembled the one that had been bound to the tree remained. The cat ears, claws, fangs, and tail were all gone and he was wearing sturdy looking boots now. His hair was more shaggy than it had been when he was bound and his clothes were still more pirate than soldier, though the colors had changed such that he was wearing navy blue trousers, a white shirt, and the same long black coat though without lime green embellishments. The mask had also disappeared and Marinette took a second to admire those same gorgeous features she’d ogled before freeing him from the tree. She was happy to note that the belled collar was still firmly fastened in place.

“And you too, Adrien,” she added with a giggle. “I guess we all have some catching up to do.”

!@#$%^&*()

They decided to kill two birds with one stone. As they walked through the woods, they played a kind of Truth game, taking turns asking each other questions and answering as much or as little of those questions as they felt necessary to form the foundations for a working relationship.

Marinette began, “So… what are you?” She asked unblinkingly as they proceeded through the deep undergrowth of the forest.

“The proud owner of the black cat Miraculous,” came the equally matter-of-fact response.

“I vaguely remember my grandfather telling me about other Miraculous,” Marinette said as she pulled a branch out of the way and let Adrien pass her.

“Yeah,” Adrien nodded. “There’s the cat ring, the ladybug earrings, the fox necklace, the turtle bracelet, the peacock pin, the bee comb, and the butterfly brooch,” he ticked off each one with a finger. “The ring and earrings are the most powerful. When used together, the wielder has 'ultimate power,' whatever that means. Bottom line: they're extremely dangerous in the wrong hands.” At that he gave her a very pointed look, which she chose to ignore.

“Where the hell are you from?” he asked, changing the subject as he turned back around.

“The World on the Other Side of the Looking Glass, I suppose. I’m not entirely sure what else you might call it here. I’ve been to Wonderland twice before this, once when I was seven and the other about six months later. I don’t know how time progresses here, but in my world, it’s been a little over ten years since my last adventures here.”

“No wonder you smell so strange,” Adrien commented, nose twitching as he inhaled her scent for the umpteenth time since their initial encounter. His sense of smell was no longer super-enhanced as it was when he was transformed, but he could still make out scents better than the average person when not in his alter ego guise. Her aroma was a mix of lavender and vanilla with an undertone of other smells he could not identify.

“I don’t know whether or not to be insulted by that,” Marinette responded, giving Adrien’s back the evil eye.

“I said strange, not bad,” Adrien huffed. “Geez, so sensitive.”

“Pssh,” Marinette hissed. “Like you’d like it if someone told you that you smell off… How did you come to be tied to that tree?”

She felt him hesitate before answering. “Volpina,” he muttered. This was followed by a very prolonged pause.

“Really?” Marinette chided. “That’s all I get?”

He let out a disgruntled sigh before trying again. “Well, like I said, there are seven Miraculous. In the earliest history of Wonderland, the royal families split the world into four equal domains and ruled autonomously but cooperatively. In this early time, all creatures lived peacefully together.”

“One day, there was an uprising. The Hearts had secretly been amassing an army and bribing the majority of the high-ranking officials in each of the other three courts. They used their power and influence to gain control over all of Wonderland.”

“A band of rebels formed and they forged the Miraculous and used them to fight the reign of terror. Over the years, the Miraculous were passed down from Chosen to Chosen until the terrible day the earrings of the ladybug disappeared from Wonderland.”

“With the earrings gone, the balance shifted. The Hearts began gaining more and more ground…”

 _‘Holy crap,’_ Marinette thought. _‘When this boy starts a story...’_

“Just as all those fighting began to lose _heart_ ,” he paused to chuckle at his own pun and Marinette rolled her eyes, “The earrings re-appeared, borne by a child from another world.”

He turned to look at her, his eyes widening in realization.

Marinette gave him a wide smile. “You can just skip to the part that happened after I defeated her highness. I know the other bit quite well, thanks.”

He had the decency to flush before resuming the walk and his tale. “R-right,” he stuttered adorably. “Well, after the Savior, I m-mean, you… after you left, the rest of the Miraculous were supposed to be returned to the Guardian, the wielder of the turtle Miraculous, but the butterfly brooch fell into the hands of a greedy Heart, far down the royal lineage, who began to use its power to re-establish their rule. The brooch allowed him to grant superpowers to and control any Wonderlandian that suffered a severe negative emotion. He crowned himself the new king and demanded to be called Hawkmoth.”

“The remaining Miraculous were once again given to Chosen. That’s when I received the ring and began working closely with Volpina, the fox Miraculous user. Usually the black cat and ladybug work together as a pair, but, as you know, the ladybug earrings left with you.” His statement was followed by another tense pause.

“So if you were partners, what does she have to do with you being tied to that tree?” Marinette prodded when an awkward amount of time had elapsed without further elaboration on his part. Marinette was walking beside him at this point and noticed a strange mix of emotions swirling in his emerald eyes.

“Let me guess…” Marinette said turning quickly to avoid seeing anything else that might reside within those dangerous, defenseless orbs. “You fell in love with her.”

His silence and pink-stained cheeks were an affirmative. They continued without speaking for another long while. His fists were so tightly clenched by his sides that he was digging red half moons into the palms of his hands.

“We were going to get the brooch back, restore peace to Wonderland, and start our life together, but she betrayed me,” he unexpectedly spewed out. “I only have vague fragments of memory from the day it happened. The only thing I remember clearly is her laughter. It was so loud as it echoed through the trees while she chased me...”

He shook his head sharply as though trying to dislodge the remnants of the sound from his mind. “Someone or something must have been protecting me, otherwise Hawkmoth would definitely have my ring in his possession right now and I probably wouldn’t be here talking to you.”

He finished this last bit rapidly and as emotionlessly as possible.

Marinette was sorry she had asked for further clarification about Volpina. She had no desire to get any closer to Adrien than was strictly necessary. If she started to care about him and something happened to him, like the something that had happened to her family, she’d…

“Maybe this time I really would go crazy,” she mumbled to herself.

“You talkin’ to me?” She hadn’t realized that Adrien’s hearing was still moderately enhanced when de-transformed too. She ignored his question and expected to go on in silence again but her thoughts were interrupted by the boy.

“Speaking of the earrings, where did you get them?”

“Like I said, I’ve always had them.” Another long pause.

“Really? That’s all I get,” Adrien made an unflattering mockery of Marinette’s earlier complaint.

“My grandpa gave them to me when I was born. As soon as I was old enough to have my ears pierced I started wearing them and I haven’t taken them off since. He would tell me bedtime stories about Wonderland every night and on my fifth birthday, he told me about the powers the earrings contained. He taught me how to activate them and began training me the next day. Two years later, I was sitting in the park with my mom, listening to her read me a story while we ate a picnic of sweets from our family’s bakery, and the White Rabbit went speeding by, whispering to himself about time. I snuck off to follow him and fell down a rabbit hole after him, ending up in the exact world my grandpa had been teaching me about for years. That first adventure was fun, but not nearly as relaxed as the second. I’ve been dreaming of coming back ever since…”

Adrien detected some bitterness in her voice with the last sentence. Little did he know she was purposefully failing to mention that what had kept her from Wonderland was that a year after her first excursion, on the very night of her eighth birthday, she had witnessed the destruction of everything she had ever loved. She knew that was both impossible for her to talk about and too personal to share. This was just business after all. They only needed to establish enough trust to not kill each other before getting to Hawkmoth, nothing more.

“So Hawkmoth was already in power before you were a tree ornament?” Marinette turned the conversation away from the painful memory of her family.

“Yup. Back then Wonderland wasn’t quite this… dark yet. In fact, I was almost as surprised to see how changed the landscape is as I was to see the ladybug earrings on your frail-looking frame.”

“Whoa! Might I remind you that this ‘frail-looking frame’ was totally holding its own against you?”

“Speaking of which,” Adrien said deftly dodging the branch Marinette had tried to whip back into his face, “How is it you've been training since you were five and you were still almost defeated by someone who’s been bound to a tree for who-knows-how-long?”

“Ah,” Marinette winced. “I trained between the ages of five and eight, but have been… incapacitated for the last 10 years.” Adrien could tell she was holding something major back, but her tone indicated that any further questions on the subject would go unanswered.

 _‘This girl who has been out of commission for the last 10 years and only trained for three years before that as a **child** held her own against me?’ _ His face darkened in embarrassment, before he remembered that the only reason she’d beaten him was because of the collar she’d managed to fasten around his neck.

Marinette was spared from further questioning by a sudden break in the trees. They had reached the end of the forest.

Unfortunately, as soon as they emerged from the foliage, the duo was surrounded by card soldiers carrying a far more terrifying array of weaponry than what Marinette remembered from her childhood.

“Guess Hawkmoth knows I’m back,” Marinette said darkly as she reached down and gripped the handle of the Vorpal Blade, pulling it deftly from her boot. Adrien took a few steps forward so they were side by side. The cards seemed hesitant to attack.

After a tense beat or two, the four of diamonds on their right seemed to gain some resolve and lunged forward. The battle was on.

@#$%^&*()(*&^%

They actually made a pretty good team all things considered.

As soon as that first diamond had lunged, Marinette threw her blade as she ran forward at the card. The knife sunk expertly into the soldier’s heart and Marinette’s head start meant she reached the card and recovered her toy from his chest before his body even hit the ground. In the meantime, Adrien had transformed and fired off a round of Cat Scratch, which wiped out three soldiers in one shot.

Marinette ran forward and picked up an unarmed grenade one of these three had dropped, pulled the pin, and flung it at a pack that had decided to rush the duo all at once.

Chat Noir could hear more of them approaching. A lot more.

He saw a sudden flash of white out of his periphery and grabbed Marinette’s wrist, yanking her back before she could launch herself at another line of approaching cards that were still some distance away. He had to admit, though she looked like someone a strong gust of wind would break, she knew how to maneuver around a battlefield and she didn’t hesitate to kill. She hadn’t even bothered to transform yet, which told him that she was either confident enough in her fighting skills without her powers to be dangerous in any form, or that she was very, very reckless and had not yet recovered sufficiently enough to use her Miraculous.

“What the fuck?!” she exclaimed as she turned towards him and he felt himself shudder inwardly at the feral gleam in her eye. Who was this girl?

“Listen to me. We can’t take them all on at once. As far as I can hear, he sent the whole damn army and we still haven’t even recovered completely from fighting each other. We’re both pretty deconditioned right now.”

He remembered he still had hold of her wrist and dropped it like it had pricked him. As he hooked his thumb in the direction of a dark hole at the base of a rock formation some 150 feet away he said, “The White Rabbit just dodged into that mine shaft.”

With a glance at the approaching decks of cards, they turned and ran full speed towards the hole, weaving in unpredictable zigzagging patterns as they went to dodge the arsenal of flying weapons that the soldiers utilized. Luckily, the cards were only throwing non-explosives – it seemed Marinette’s grenade reversal had made them wary – but the arrows and spears were more than capable of killing either one of the pair if they hit home.

“They’re just going to stampede in after us,” Marinette yelled to Chat when they were 20 feet from the entrance. “But the bottleneck effect of the small doorway should slow them down enough that we get the upperhand and can possibly finish them off or outstrip them.”

“Though, if we choose option one, we’d be fighting that massive wave for hours,” she continued in a huff, slightly winded. They passed through the cave mouth and turned back to face the oncoming swarm.

“How quickly you forget that I can do this…” Chat said.

“Cataclysm!” he shouted as he slapped his hand against the rock wall and a pulse of black light emanated from his palm and rippled through the rocks. A large crack echoed through the mine as a rockslide started. It was mostly contained to the boundaries of the mine opening, but a few rather hefty rocks were starting to fall outward a bit too far towards where the duo stood.

Chat heard a harsh, irritated growl and felt himself being spun away from the entrance. He let out a small, “Oof,” as he hit the ground just outside the perimeter of the mountain of rubble now blocking the entrance to the mine and continued to roll.

His eyes were squeezed shut by the time he finally came to a stop and it took him more than a moment to realize that there was a warm pressure on top of him.

As the first beep of his Miraculous sounded, he opened his eyes. A brilliant flush crept up his face as he stared into shining bluebell eyes.

He immediately mentally chided his long dormant hormones for deciding to stir now.

He offered a mumbled, “Thanks,” as Marinette relinquished her grasp on him and rolled off of his body. She stood up slowly so the blood wouldn’t rush to her brain.

“Just watch where you’re aiming next time.” She purposefully faced away from him as she spoke so he couldn’t see the redness slowly painting her cheeks.

Chat smelled a metallic tang that had nothing to do with the mines and spun Marinette by the shoulder so she was forced to face him. The second beep sounded from his ring.

Her eyes had dulled once more and there was a new cut on her cheek and one on her calf. Chat could see a sharp rock, now tinged a deep crimson, sticking up out of the floor behind her. It had apparently stabbed into her calf as they rolled over it.

At his stare Marinette used her apron to dab at her face and then checked the leg wound for debris as she didn’t want it to get infected before she had rested up enough to transform and hopefully heal it.

She looked up again and caught Chat staring at her, eyes soft with concern.

“What?” she spat at him a little harsher than she meant to. He flinched, his cat ears folding back along the top of his head.

“Sorry,” she muttered apologetically as a dull throb began in her right temple. She was overexerting herself and she knew it. She hadn’t been this active since before Grandpa had died. “I’ve been out of practice with the whole social thing for ten years. Just don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” he said the hardness returning to his eyes.

 _‘Like you care,’_ she thought, but aloud she said, “Like I’m weak. I’m fine.” Her inner self shook its head at her in warning. _‘Keep it professional,’_ she reminded herself.

From behind Chat, Marinette saw another flash of white and began to run after it, ignoring the spasms from her injured calf and the ache of her out of practice muscles. As the third beep sounded, Chat shook his head as though flicking off the thought that had just crossed it and followed after her.

When they turned the corner they were frustrated to see the White Rabbit shrink before their eyes and enter a small hole in the mine wall.

“Damn,” Marinette murmured. “Don’t suppose you know how to make yourself shrink?”

Chat was about to issue some snappy retort when out of the shadows a voice cut him off.

“To do that, you must go to the Fortress of Doors.”

!@#$%^&*

A dwarf, holding a bucket and pick axe, stepped out from the shadows of the mine. He had what looked to be a bright purple glow-in-the-dark boulder strapped to his back. Marinette couldn’t be sure, but she thought she sensed an evil essence emanating from it.

For the first time, Marinette and Chat noticed that he was not the only miner either. In their haste to stop the onslaught of card soldiers they had failed to notice the buzz of activity going on in the mine. Dwarves were spaced throughout the twisting mine paths either shuffling slowly to carts waiting on tracks to deposit their findings or using their tools to hammer against the cave walls.

One expects that a mine will be gloomy and hazardous to work in, but the atmosphere in this particular mine was even bleaker. Marinette saw one worker accidentally take a blow to the head from a careless peer and by some strange force continue to work; his partner’s pick axe jutting from his skull.

She turned back to the dwarf that had addressed them and wondered what had broken him from the zombie-like state it seemed all the other dwarves were trapped in. She hadn’t noticed the little pulses of pink light that had begun to emanate from her earrings when the dwarf had first come close.

A fourth beep sounded from the ring on Chat’s finger.

“Please tell me that’s somewhere in the mine,” Marinette responded hopefully.

“I don’t believe so, ma’am,” the dwarf said apologetically with a slight bow of his head. “But there is one who knows the way and he is here, deeper in the mine.” The dwarf pointed his pick axe towards the gaping pit in the mine’s center, indicating that they should make their way down it.

“Thank you!” Marinette returned the bow ever so slightly before turning to the path. Chat followed without saying a word. He kept his eyes on the dwarf.

When Marinette had disappeared over the lip of the pit, taking the pulsing light of the earrings with her, the dwarf gave a slight shudder before continuing with his work, as zombie-like as his fellows once more. A final beep sounded from his ring, and then he was back to being Adrien. He sped up his pace in order to join Marinette in the descent.

This wasn’t his first time seeing the power the King could wield over his subjects, but he hoped it would be one of the last. He carefully filed away the fact that the Ladybug Miraculous seemed to be able to breakthrough some of Hawkmoth's power.

*&^%$#@#!

“Heeeelllooooooooo?” Marinette yelled when they reached the bottom of the big hole.

“Alert all of Wonderland why don’t you?” Adrien said swiveling his head this way and that to see if he could hear any approaching enemies.

“You wanna sit down here all day waiting for we-don’t-even-know-who to show up?” she replied briskly.

“Don’t worry, ma’am,” said an extremely old looking troll as he stepped from the shadows. “Wouldn’t keep company waitin’.”

Unlike the dwarf from before, the troll seemed to be lucid without the aid of pulsing light from the ladybug earrings.

“They call me, ‘The Elder,’ ‘round these parts. Or at least they used to back when people possessed the power of thought.” It wasn’t hard to detect the bitterness in his voice. “What can I do for you folk?”

“We need to shrink,” Marinette answered without missing a beat. “We were told that to do that we would need to go to the Fortress of Doors and that you could guide us there.”

“Well…” the Elder started, scratching his bearded face. “I can do ya one better. If ya’ll retrieve a key of mine that has been ‘confiscated’ by the mine guards, I’ll take ya there myself.”

Ever suspicious, Adrien narrowed his eyes at the Elder. “What’s the catch?”

The Elder chortled, his eyes gleaming in the surrounding darkness. “Good instincts, young man. Catch is, they’re holed up in their bunker at the end of this tunnel. There are about 50 of ‘em give or take. Mind you, they’re usually piss poor drunk with no one supervising ‘em, but even inebriated, I couldn’t get passed those numbers on my own, I’m too old and too sick.”

Adrien snorted. If that was the only catch then no sweat. “You got a deal, Old Man.”

“His name is Elder,” Marinette lightly chastised him.

“Same thing,” Adrien rolled his eyes at her.

“I’ll be waitin’ here for ya then!” The Elder said brightly, waving the pair on.

Marinette and Adrien side-stepped him and began to quietly make their way up the tunnel. It was easy going. There were very few loose rocks to stumble over, and no turns or twists in the path. It only took ten minutes for them to reach the light at the end.

The tunnel exit looked down into the soldier’ quarters, about 10 feet below. Adrien and Marinette were careful to peep over the edge just enough to see so that, in the event one of the guards looked up, they wouldn’t be spotted. Though the chances of that happening seemed very low indeed.

Ironically enough, the card soldiers below were playing a game of cards and they were being dangerously inattentive and rowdy while doing so. It didn’t look like any game Marinette knew.

For a start, the playing cards looked more like weapons then tools of entertainment. They sported razor sharp edges that gleamed silver in the light from the torches lining the cavern walls. The soldiers were taking turns throwing the cards at each other across the table. If the target guard ducked, he had to drink; if the target guard caught the card without getting cut, he had to drink, but not as much; and if the target guard failed in both avoidance techniques and he got sliced, he finished his pint. The game wasn’t limited to the table either. It looked like the most dangerous game of tag Marinette had ever witnessed, with soldiers running around frantically as the guards seated at the table flung bladed cards at their brethren.

“Well, well, well,” she whispered to herself. “Looks like I found my newest toy…”

Marinette’s earrings began to glow pink in the dim lighting. The hair on the back of Adrien’s neck stood as he felt the air around her shift and start to crackle with an invisible power. The atmosphere in the bunker below took a sudden shift as well. Before, where there had been laughter, there were now screams as the cards, which the guards had been flinging sloppily at each other became full of murderous intent.

The bladed cards that were already in the air accelerated enough to slice their targets clean through and the rest of the deck, which was either in the hands of the guards seated at the table or stacked neatly in the table’s center, rose and began to copy the activities of their airbourne counterparts, beheading first those seated at the table then attacking the other soldiers around the room. Blood splattered across the rock walls, the vital fluid looking more like ink in the light given off by the fire.

The razored deck did not stop until all movement and sound had ceased below. When all was quiet and still, the cards floated back to the table, neatly stacking themselves.

“You… are not stable,” Adrien said turning to face Marinette once the destruction was done and her earrings no longer glowed. “You’re also a total fun hog.”

She turned to face him too, a broad smile on her face. “No need to get our hands dirty. Unfortunately, with that last trick, I don’t think I’ll be much use until we get some food and sleep.”

 _‘And you can actually start to be good for something other than eye candy,’_ she finished in her mind.

“What?” Adrien blinked at her as though he had heard this last thought.

Marinette’s slight flush was bright on her pale skin. “Oh nothing, hot stuff. Come on, let’s get down there and find the Elder’s stolen trinket.”

Adrien blushed and quickly jumped down into the game room, his boots splashing in the warm black pool spreading to cover the floor. Marinette slipped down from the exit with less grace thanks to her injured leg, but managed to keep from falling on her butt and staining her dress. She crossed over to the table and carefully picked up her new toy. She slid the deck into the front right pocket of her apron, which she was pleased to feel had been pre-emptively lined with leather like that of a sheath.

Meanwhile, Adrien walked over to some shelves, picked up the golden key laying upon the bottom one, and pocketed it. _‘Well, that was easy…’_

Suddenly, a door to his right burst open, the wood slamming against the rock wall with a loud bang. Apparently the door led to the area where the soldiers slept. It seemed not all the guards had been engaged in the night’s frivolities.

Adrien sprang to Marinette and threw her over his shoulder in one deft movement before climbing back up the cave wall to the tunnel. _‘Holy crap, he’s stronger than he looks,'_ she thought, enjoying the view. _  
_

Once they reached the top. Adrien dumped her on the floor and turned back to the hole they’d just come out of, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. Since he was currently unarmed and likely unable to transform since he'd already done so twice within the last 3 hours, Marinette reached into her boot and grabbed ahold of the Vorpal Blade, sliding it out and casually tossing it to him in one smooth motion. Adrien caught it expertly by the handle without flinching, a smirk tugging up the corner of his lips.

“Thanks,” he said. “Don’t wait up.” And then he was heading back down into the game room to wreak some havoc of his own.

Marinette got up, massaging her bruised lower back. She began to creep back up the tunnel, the sounds of the second massacre echoing around her. She wondered why he’d felt the need to put her out of harm’s way first. Perhaps the injuries she’d sustained while saving him from the falling rocks had put him into knight-in-shining-armor mode.

When she had nearly reached the entrance where the Elder waited, she heard Adrien running up the tunnel behind her. Just in case he got any ideas, she stopped to face him as he closed the last couple feet between them. But she needn’t have worried. Not only had he gotten his fill of violence for now, but he was also all too aware of the collar around his neck. He wasn’t sure what would happen if she said the magic words while he was de-transformed, but he had no desire to learn.

 _‘Eventually she’ll need to sleep,’_ he thought darkly to himself while quieting the annoying part of his brain that told him it was too late, she had gotten under his skin. His lonely heart seemed to have selective amnesia for the fact that his last partner had completely shattered it and was all too eager to fill itself with this girl from another world. He returned the Vorpal Blade to Marinette and fell into line behind her.

They reached the tunnel mouth in a matter of seconds and found that the Elder was still there, right where he’d said he’d be. Adrien gave him the key and the duo stared at the troll expectantly.

“Well, ya’ll fulfilled your end of the bargain. Let’s get this show on the road!”

The Elder started off down a different tunnel and Marinette and Adrien followed. About halfway through, they passed through a shimmering portal and came out on a dock outside of the mine. An airship was awaiting them.

The Elder climbed aboard and began prepping Her for flight immediately.

“After you,” Adrien said, raising his eyebrows as he smirked and bowed forward.

“Such a gentleman,” Marinette rolled her eyes, batting his outstretched hand out of the way as she limped up the stairs leading to the ship’s small deck and took the only seat, situated near the steering wheel. She wanted to be able to talk to the Elder during the flight in order to learn more about the current state of affairs in Wonderland.

Adrien bounded up the stairs after her just as the Elder released the ties anchoring the ship to the pier.

 

!@#$)(*&!@#$%)_+_)(*&^%$#@!@@#$%^&*_)(*&^%$!#@$%^&*()I_)(*&%%@1@#$%^

 

Next time: **The Lovers Legend and the Lost Baton**

 


	6. The Lovers Legend and the Lost Baton

_"We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”  
\-- **Martin Luther King, Jr.**_

“So Elder, what’s your story?”

The airship in which the trio rode was little bigger than a floating rickshaw and was powered by the Elder’s continuous pedaling on a stationary bike attached to a plane propeller.

The Elder turned to Marinette, puffing on his pipe. “Yer not from around here are ya?”

“No. But I have been here before… it was back when a Queen of Hearts was in power.”

“Thought ya was familiar! Ya’ve gone a bit gloomy over the years if memory serves me right… mind ya I was old then and I’m even older now and my recollection ain’t what it used to be. Also I only glimpsed ya a few times during yar travels”

“Well, a lot has happened since I was seven…” she trailed off.

Adrien figuratively pricked his ears up, wondering if she would elaborate, but the moment for her to do so passed in silence.

“Wonderland and ya both,” the Elder sighed solemnly nodding his bearded head. “I was a different troll when ya came the first time and rescued us from the ‘tyranny’ of the Queen of Hearts. If only then I had known what true tyranny looked like. The fear of that age is incomparable to this…”

“Adrien told me a little about Hawkmoth’s domination,” Marinette politely nudged. “But he was put under a spell before most of the changes happened, so he doesn’t really know how things got to this point.”

“Adrien ya say? Thought ya was familiar as well, though now I reflect, ya haven’t aged a day. So it wasn’t just another of the March Hare’s mad imaginings! The male lead from the ‘Legend of the Star-crossed Lovers’ is awake once more.”

Adrien was bewildered. “What are you talking about?”

“Ya don't know?” the Elder scoffed. "Well, I’ll havta tell ya’ll the tale then."

On one level Adrien was creeped out that this little troll knew more about the most calamitous event in his life than he did. On another, he was pissed that he couldn’t keep Marinette from hearing. _‘Why does she get to know all my secrets and she can keep all hers?’_

However, short of throwing her overboard or being really mature and covering up her ears with his hands, there wasn’t anything he could do. He just rolled his eyes and leaned back against the mast post to listen.

“A little over one hundred years ago, shortly after the last sighting of Ladybug, Hawkmoth came to power and the remaining Miraculous were called upon once more to fight for Wonderland. The fox necklace and black cat ring were the first two to be given out, and they were drawn to each other immediately.”

 _‘What the fuck?’_ Adrien was taken aback both by the length of time he had been sealed and by the romanticism tingeing the Elder’s narrative. He found that he did not like hearing about his life in the form of legend. He could feel a flush creeping up his neck and had the strong urge to turn his face out towards the darkness they were flying through. However, he wanted to gauge Marinette’s reaction to the Elder’s words and so could not shift his eyes off her.

For her part, Marinette could understand just how embarrassing this must be for Adrien and she was turned forward, careful not to let her gaze stray in his direction. She felt uncomfortable just listening, but his past was intricately woven into the story of how Wonderland had become shrouded in evil so she had no choice but to let the Elder continue. _‘Guess that answers my question about the time difference between my world and this one; about ten years in Wonderland for every one in mine.’_

“For all that the black cat was powerful,” the Elder continued. “He was inexperienced and too blinded by his desire to avenge his father, who had been killed by Hawkmoth early on in his rise to power, to utilize much skill or strategy. Chat Noir needed a counterbalance.”

“Sensing the hurt and anger emanating from his soul, Volpina volunteered to fight by Chat’s side, in the place Ladybug should have been. Volpina’s compassion for the bearer of destruction peeked the cat’s curiosity. Needless to say, a deep bond formed between the pair.”

Adrien and Marinette both turned beet red.

“One day, during a particularly challenging battle with an akuma, Volpina was forced to de-transform. Though she and the cat both thought she’d found somewhere hidden enough as to be safe from discovery, Hawkmoth learned her identity and waited patiently to capitalize on his newfound knowledge.”

Adrien’s mouth dropped open at these words and his wide eyes immediately shifted to the Elder.

“He struck the next time Volpina returned home to see her family. When she walked in the front door, it was to see Chat Noir standing over the blood-covered bodies of her father and sister. In a state of complete shock, she failed to transform in time to dodge the attack that was then aimed at her. She sustained a mortal wound, but managed to stagger out into the woods and hide the fox necklace before Chat found her again. As he stood over her, watching her slowly bleed out, Hawkmoth appeared. Unable to find her Miraculous, Hawkmoth placed a copy around her neck and used it to akumatize her before she could perish.”

Adrien was too stunned to speak. Tears were trickling down his face. _‘I couldn't have... I don't have any memory of those things.’_

“I know all this because I was the Guardian at the time. I had sensed that the fox Miraculous was in danger and arrived in the woods just in time to find Lila before Chat. She left the true Miraculous in my care. I had to hide in a hollow, watching the horror of her transformation take place and unable to come to her aid lest Hawkmoth steal all the Miraculous I had in my possession at the time.”

The Elder took a moment to collect himself and Adrien broke the silence with a choked, “I'd never have hurt Lila!”

The Elder looked at him with pity. “I know, boy. Her attacker was a Copy Cat. Hawkmoth needed extremely strong negative emotions to akumatize her. A lover’s betrayal served the purpose well.”

Adrien took in a deep shuddering breath and furiously swiped at his cheeks before gesturing for the Elder to continue. _‘If that Copy Cat is still alive, I will kill him.’_ A sudden hypothesis struck him. _‘Could it have been…?’_

“Volpina was supposed to meet up with Chat after visiting her family,” the Elder broke in, derailing Adrien’s train of thought. “Wonderlandians who were collecting supplies in the wilderness saw Chat go to the pair's favorite meeting spot in the forest. When she finally arrived, the unmistakable sounds of a fight started echoing through the trees.”

“No one knows what happened in the woods, but Volpina emerged alone and there after began working for Hawkmoth. Those who entered the forest the next day were shocked to find one of the only remaining members of the Spade family, Adrien Agreste, magically bound to the Eiffel, looking for all the world like a dead man resting in eternal slumber.”

The Elder paused for a few minutes to give his tale thus far time to sink in.

“Soon after Chat’s imprisonment to the Eiffel, a great Transformation swept Wonderland. The world itself became twisted with a malice that turned the skies dark and the seas red. Those akumatized became more powerful than ever and those not akumatized became radically altered in appearance. Hawkmoth began to make more and more of a name for himself with all the indescribable evil he unleashed. I myself came face to face with him during the Troll Uprising fifty years ago. I was the commander of one of our many legions. In the end, I was also the only survivor.”

“Hawkmoth completely decimated our troops. I can’t even tell ya’ll myself what happened it all occurred so fast. All I know is that I thought I was a complete goner. I played dead for several days, hiding beneath the stinking corpses of my fallen comrades.”

“On the second day I was in hiding, I overheard Hawkmoth speaking to himself as he walked the battefield, admiring his handiwork. He said, ‘I know not the current location of the ladybug earrings, yet I should thank the bearer for allowing Wonderland to fall into such despair. Those precious stones are completely in tune with her heart, and only through that vital organ becoming tainted could this world have been so transformed. I am sure the White Rabbit and his comrades are hard at work trying to contact her. Perhaps she has become so incapacitated that she cannot come back since she has yet to return.’”

Marinette was horrified and confused by the Elders words. _‘Could I have unintentionally helped create this hate-filled version of Wonderland?’_

“Hawkmoth destroyed all my hopes of Wonderland’s salvation with those words,” the Elder finished, turning to look at Marinette.

Marinette suddenly felt a desperate need to get off the airship. This last part of the troll’s speech had stabbed straight into her heart; the same organ she had just learned might have played a key role in aiding the malevolent man that had plunged Wonderland into darkness and despair.

She shot up from her seat and quickly leaned over the side of the flying machine, closing her eyes tightly in an attempt to shut out the memories and imagined visions that were now assaulting her: cold snow beside white hot heat, mindless dwarves dying in a murky mine, a betrayed woman bleeding out on the forest floor. Marinette tried to take deep calming breaths to steady herself and slowly forced the screams out of her head.

Adrien and the Elder were both staring at her now.

With the Elder’s tale done, it finally became clear to Marinette and Adrien why the Cheshire Cat had brought them together. Chat Noir and Ladybug needed each other; they were two halves of one whole. What little thought had been in Adrien’s head of killing Marinette in her sleep and stealing the earrings left him instantly.

He watched as Marinette’s body began trembling slightly where she leaned against the side of the ship. Whether the tremors were due to anger or sadness he could not determine.

It happened to be a mixture of both and more. She knew the Elder and Adrien were standing there and surely waiting for an explanation, but she didn’t think she could hold herself together if she had to tell them her life’s story. She’d felt sorry for Adrien earlier, but now she prayed for a third party narrator to come and tell her tale.

After this long she knew she should have been able to recover and move on. Plenty of people who had lost their loved ones were able to do so, case-in-point: Adrien, who had not only lost his entire family to Hawkmoth, but until recently had thought he’d been stabbed in the back by the girl he loved too. If that wasn’t mental resiliency, Marinette didn’t know what was. _‘Though he did try to kill me as soon as I set him free. Perhaps he has a few more screws loose than I give him credit for.’_

Unfortunately, Marinette seemed to have formed some sort of mental block that would not let her get past her past. So she resolved to continue doing what she’d been doing since she was eight. She pushed the memories to some dark, distant corner of her mind and lied to everyone present, herself included.

“You just believed him?” Marinette asked as she swiveled around letting anger be the emotion that won out over all the others. _‘And why shouldn’t I be angry? The Cheshire Cat hasn’t been telling me everything, apparently my subconscious is working of its own free will, and now I have to shoulder part of the blame for what has become of Wonderland. To think I’d believed that escaping Rutledge would solve all of my problems._ ’

Anger was not what either Adrien or the Elder had expected. Tears and a breakdown maybe, but not the seething fury currently enveloping them.

“Well, I had no reason not to believe him,” the Elder started, taken aback. “He didn’t know I was there and thus had no reason to speak lies. And besides, it fits. The earrings were forged in Wonderland and have the power to create whatever the bearer wishes.”

“Well, there you are then!” Marinette interrupted. “I may have ‘gone a bit gloomy’ over the years, but that’s a natural part of growing up in my world. Nothing so dark as to subconsciously shift my will towards creating _this_.” She gestured out into the surrounding blackness with a wave of her hand.

“And I’m a doormouse’s uncle,” Adrien threw at her exasperated. “You think you get to hide your secrets just because they hurt? Well I didn’t get that luxury so don’t think you’re so special that you get to. You’re just as connected to what’s happened here as I am and if you can’t come to terms with that then we won’t ever right Wonderland!”

If what the Elder had overheard was true, she knew she would have to face the memories eventually. But eventually did not have to be this instant.

“That may be some day,” she seethed. “But at this particular moment, my secrets and I are no one’s concerns.” That said, she fled as far from the two men as the airship would allow, which, unfortunately, was only about 5 feet away and completely out in the open.

The Elder, still pedaling, looked Adrien straight in the eye and said, “Don’t push it, Lad. She’s right on one account. Her heart is too far gone after a decade to be fixed in a single day. Hopefully, the time it takes for ya’ll to defeat Hawkmoth will be enough to heal her wounds. Otherwise it will all be for naught.”

The Elder looked woefully at the girl who was now standing at the bow of the ship and felt his rekindled hopes for Wonderland’s future dwindling once more.

 

!@#$%^&*()

The rest of the flight was tense. No one said another word to each other as they all focused on their own issues and reflected on the information they had just learned.

After an awkward hour or so, the Elder finally gave a cry, “The fortress is within sight!”

As soon as they were within a few miles of the floating keep however, they saw that it was heavily guarded.

“I can’t get too close or they’ll pop the balloon holding the ship aloft with their spears,” the Elder said scrunching his brows. “Ya’ll havta jump! Take my travelling pack, it’s got enough supplies for a few days and plenty of room for more you might collect along the way.”

Marinette knew she wouldn’t be able to jump farther than a spear could be thrown and turned to say so when Adrien crouched in front of her and commanded, “Get on my back!”

She quickly grabbed the black backpack the Elder had gestured to and then climbed on board the boy. When Adrien had his arms securely locked around her legs, Marinette slid the razor-edged cards carefully out of her apron pocket. “I’ll cover you,” she whispered into his ear, the warmth of her breath sending a not unpleasant chill shooting through his body.

As the ship pulled closer to the fortress, Marinette turned her head to the side to speak to the Elder. “Thank you so much for everything! I hope we can give your tale the happy ending it deserves.”

The Elder nodded solemnly, not trusting his voice to speak again without breaking. It had suddenly dawned on him that the fate of his entire world was in the hands of a psychologically unstable, undertrained, eighteen-year-old girl and an almost equally damaged, temperamental catboy.

Adrien took a running leap off the ship as Marinette began to fling well-aimed bladed cards at the waiting soldiers. Her earrings automatically called the cards back to her after they had finished slicing through their intended targets, so she never ran out of ammo.

The Elder veered the ship away from the fortress as soon as Adrien’s feet left the deck. As he pedaled he glanced down at the Jade bracelet that had gone un-noticed by the two young heroes. _‘Oops. I forgot to tell them one last important detail about the other Miraculous… Oh well, they shall find out soon enough.’_

The ship soon vanished into the darkness and was lost to sight.

)(*&^%$#@!

Adrien’s aim was spot on and the two cleared the outer wall of the fortress with no trouble, landing in a courtyard on the other side. The pair was lucky that so many of his powers remained in enough quantity to be useful when he was not transformed. No normal human could have managed that jump, let alone with another person on his or her back.

Harsh screams assaulted them from two sides and Marinette dropped the cards she was holding as she hastily moved to cup her hands around Adrien’s ears, which she knew were a hundred times more sensitive than hers. However, this left her own ears wide open to the noise. She clamped her legs tighter around his waist so he could release her legs and use his hands to attack without causing her to fall off his back.

Instead of being knocked unconscious, as he would have been had his ears not been covered, Adrien was able to slip the Vorpal Blade from Marinette’s boot and use it against the pair of flying robed [Boojum](http://alice.wikia.com/wiki/Boojum) causing the raucous.

With two swift swipes he disposed of the monsters, neatly cutting them in half and watching their bodies burst into flame.

As he landed, he felt Marinette slipping from his back. He turned to catch her baby doll style only to see that she had passed out and blood was leaking from her nose.

“Shit!” he exclaimed as he also noticed the card guards starting to climb down the stairs from the outer wall to the courtyard. He quickly stooped down to gather Marinette’s cards (they were so heavy that they hadn’t scattered too far) and tucked them into her pocket before standing up again.

When he had time to assess the situation once more, he observed that there were three portals around the outside of the courtyard. After a brief hesitation, he darted through the one closest to him, which, unseen by the boy, had a cat’s paw etched into the stone above its archway.

)(*&^%$#@!

Once through, Adrien briefly took note of their location – what looked to be a mass grave – and seeing no enemies, found a skeleton-less patch of ground to set Marinette upon.

“Oi! Wake up!” He tried yelling to rouse her, gently shaking her in case the Boojum had seriously scrambled her brain. “You better not die on me now.”

Marinette stirred slightly, opening her eyes a crack. “Tikki, is that you?” she whispered hoarsely, reaching up to ruffle Adrien’s hair.

His face deadpanned and he smacked her hand away before standing up beyond her arm’s reach, “Official diagnosis: your brain is broken.”

Marinette’s hand dropped and she began blinking rapidly. She sat up slowly. “What the hell happened?”

She was practically shouting, trying to make herself heard over the incessant ringing she thought was coming from somewhere in the graveyard but was really just inside her own head.

Adrien gave a quick recap while she wiped the blood off her face, reached into the pack the Elder had given them, and took a quick swig of water from the canteen she found within.

“You want some,” she asked holding the container out to Adrien after he'd finished talking. He grabbed it and took a few gulps.

When the water entered his empty stomach, it hit him just how famished he was. It hit Marinette too when his stomach proceeded to rumble loudly enough for her to hear over the tinnitus.

Stifling a giggle Marinette pulled out what looked like beef jerky, though never having seen a cow in Wonderland she highly doubted that’s what it was. She traded it to Adrien for the Vorpal Blade before pulling a purple, pear-shaped fruit from the bag for herself.

Expecting it to taste quite unlike fruit when she took a tentative nibble given that it was from Wonderland, she was pleasantly surprised to find it had the flavor of marzipan. It was also quite juicy which had the added effect of further slating her thirst.

As they snacked, and the ringing in Marinette’s ears began to dissipate, they inspected their surroundings more closely. They were at the base of a humongous mausoleum that had the bones of all sorts of creatures, humans included, scattered around it. It looked more like a mass dumping ground for corpses than a place some large scale conflict had occurred.

Adrien’s nose had been twitching like crazy ever since they arrived but he could not put his finger on why the smell underlying the typical graveyard odor was so familiar to him. It wasn’t until Marinette pointed out the feline-themed carvings in the mausoleum that he understood why.

“No fucking way,” he said, turning to look up at the black building and managing to hold onto his jerky. “The Black Cat Memorial?!”

Marinette’s eyes snapped to Adrien.

“Ew,” Adrien shuddered as most do when confronted directly by their own mortality. “This is where all the previous Chat Noir’s have been laid to rest.”

Marinette was shocked by the number of bodies surrounding the memorial and was about to ask why they were scattered around the building inside of inside of it when Adrien issued forth a slew of colorful curses, threw the packet of jerky in her general direction, and began to prowl the area suspiciously, hissing every once in awhile when a random insect or gust of wind would startle him.

After a few minutes, during which Marinette waited patiently for him to calm down, she began to fear that there would be no end to his agitated state. The next time he passed in front of her, she attempted to calm him by wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and hugging him close.

Adrien faltered and stood stock still as Marinette tightened her grip around his abdomen. She tried and failed not to take note of how toned his body felt beneath her arms and the way he smelled of pine and some sort of exotic spice blend.

After a few moments he muttered, “Okay, okay. You can let go now, I promise not to flip out.” She hesitantly released her hold and grabbed his right hand, using it to spin him around to face her before releasing it.

“What was that all about?” she asked eyes wide. He wasn’t looking at her.

“This place just gives me the heebie jeebies,” he muttered.

Marinette sighed and sat back down. She set about dressing the various wounds she had sustained with first aid supplies she found in the Elder’s bag. She’d have to see about healing both her external and unseen internal injuries once she was rested enough to transform again and use her Miraculous Ladybug swarm.

“Well, if something attacks us here, you need to be running at full capacity since I’m not, so please get ahold of yourself.”

Adrien snorted. “Judging by the lack of life in this dump, I’d say we’re safe.” He watched her for a few seconds as she worked.

“How do you know this is the memorial for your predecessors?” Marinette inquired.

“The smell. And the symbols on the building. It’s all overwhelmingly feline.”

“Who knew there were so many before you?” Marinette blinked in wonder, looking up at him.

“Well, the Miraculous have been around for thousands of years... And Chat Noir’s tend to have _paw_ ful luck. Comes with the territory.”

Marinette suppressed an eyeroll and refrained from asking further questions upon noting the bitterness that had spread across her companion’s face at this admission.

A comfortable silence lingered between them as Marinette finished bandaging herself up. When she was done, she stood and stretched out her sore muscles. “So now what? I have a feeling this isn’t a place where we can learn to become small.”

“And you would be correct,” said the floating smile of the Cheshire Cat that had suddenly appeared above a nearby boulder. Soon the rest of his body resolved and he sat calmly flicking his tail, eyes casting disapproving looks at the skeletons surrounding him.

“Oh, look who decides to show up now,” Adrien sneered at the feline.

“Yeah,” Marinette huffed. “Thanks for telling us everything we needed to know about Hawkmoth and Wonderland’s transformation from the start.” Sarcasm dripped from her every word.

“It has always been my belief that the best stories are told by firsthand witnesses. The Elder was actually present at most of the events that brought us to this end so I thought meeting him would provide you with more… _purr-_ spective.” The cat was completely unashamed.

The two teens had nothing to say to this and waited for the reason behind the cat’s sudden presence to be revealed.

“I have come to let you know that you are doing well so far and that stumbling upon this grave was no accident. Adrien, you will come to find that a very important artifact is waiting for you inside the memorial.”

“And you know this because…” Adrien raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Oh,” the cat said dismissively. “I know many things about this land.” He began to clean himself, offering no further information.

“Why you…” Adrien started, taking a step towards the cat.

“Tsk, tsk, boy. Here I am, offering you useful advice and you threaten me,” the cat did not do his usual dissolving act and instead vanished in a single blink.

Now it was Adrien’s turn to sigh. He shifted to face Marinette. “Time for another ride I guess,” and he gestured for her to climb on his back. She thought about refusing, but her injured calf was still pulsing somewhat painfully.

She stowed the backpack beneath a pile of skeletons near the portal they’d come through and hopped on, this time holding Adrien tight around the neck as he began to run towards the mouth of the mausoleum. Once they reached the door, Adrien did not hesitate to hurry inside.

When they had disappeared within, a dark figure sitting atop the roof jumped down. The shadow creature landed gracefully on all fours then turned to creep inside after the unsuspecting heroes.

!@#$%^&*()

Once inside, Marinette slid carefully off of Adrien’s back. She was the first to notice the silver baton protruding from a black marble pedestal at the far end of the room.

“Think that’s it?” she asked stepping towards it.

“Nothing else in this place screams ‘important artifact’ as far as I can tell.” Adrien replied as he jumped onto the stone platform. As he came nearer, the baton pulsed, much as Adrien had when Marinette had approached him on the tree.

“Whoa,” the boy let out a breath as he reached for the weapon. Once he had a firm grip on the baton, he pulled at it with all his might and a green light began to shine from where the baton entered the marble. It was all very dramatic and seemed to be building to a huge climax when suddenly, the sparks ceased and the baton was… still stuck.

Marinette and Adrien both deadpanned.

“What the fuck?!” Adrien growled shaking his fist up at the heavens. “I’m gonna kill that fucking cat!” A vein began popping out on his forehead.

“And here I was worried that you would take possession of the baton…” a deep voice echoed around the cavernous room.

Adrien jumped forward to land in front of Marinette, stretching out his arms to protect her from the unseen foe. “Felix?” Adrien questioned, recognizing the voice instantly. “Think of the devil and he makes himself known… Show yourself, bastard!”

“Still a low class alley cat I see,” a man who looked like kin to Adrien tutted as he strutted forth from the shadows. He had the same golden hair, although his was clearly more tamed; similarly shaped eyes, though his were a smoky grey; and was dressed in an outfit nearly identical to Chat Noir’s outfit, complete with mask, ears, tail, and claws, though it seemed somehow more regal than the real deal; more prince than pirate. Other major differences between the two men included the stranger’s slightly taller stature and his haughty, upright posture.

Adrien’s suspicions about the identity of the Copy Cat grew tenfold.

“I thought you long dead, cousin,” the man hissed. His last word was accompanied by a grimace as though admitting his relationship with Adrien caused acid to appear on his tongue.

“Funny,” Adrien sneered. “I never even thought of you.”

Something about the man’s outfit and demeanor struck Marinette. _‘Cousin? He couldn’t be…’_

Felix narrowed his eyes even further. “I have been trying to figure out how to take hold of the baton for some time now. I heard you had awoken and figured the Cheshire Cat would eventually direct you here. I thought I would finally be able to take possession of the baton once you pulled it from its stand. Alas, it appears that you are just as incapable of extracting it as I. You are therefore of no use to me.”

Felix flew towards Adrien so fast that the boy didn’t even have time to blink before the force of Felix’s claws sent him flying against the mausoleum wall. In another instant Felix gripped Adrien around the neck and held him suspended a few feet off the ground. His claws were puncturing the soft flesh of Adrien’s throat.

“Die,” Felix calmly commanded as a sickly black glow began to emanate from his right hand. The next instant, he drove the appendage straight at his captive’s head.

At the last second, Adrien finally managed to pull off a counter, biting down on Felix’s hand. The older man was not expecting such a street tactic.

Felix released his chokehold and Adrien dropped down, just in time to avoid the destructive blades that issued forth from his cousin’s claws. Instead, the black blades gouged a large hole in the wall that Adrien had just been pressed up against.

“All this over a dumb baton,” Marinette said aloud. She had stepped onto the marble platform to get away from the quarreling cousins. She thought that maybe she was rested enough to transform, but hadn’t yet convinced herself to try.

“It’s not just a ‘dumb baton’!” Felix spat at her. “It was forged from the same metal that formed the ring of the black cat and grants immense power to whoever wields it.”

Marinette looked skeptically back at the baton again. It looked like just a normal baton, save for the green pawprint etched into it’s front.

“Well good thing it isn't in your hands now,” Adrien said as he leapt towards his cousin in an attempt to take him by surprise.

In a blink, Felix was behind Adrien and drew a whip made of black light from thin air. He flicked it across Adrien’s back three times. Luckily for Adrien, his jacket was made from Flunderfluff hide and didn’t get sliced to pieces, but the force of the blows still pushed him to the ground. He rolled over in time to see Felix’s glowing black claws coming at him again, but this time he could do nothing to stop them.

“Adrien!” Marinette yelled reaching out towards him and taking a step forward. She slipped on the smooth, polished surface of the platform and grabbed the end of the baton to stop herself from toppling over. Instead of stopping, her momentum continued to carry her forward and she felt no resistance from the baton as it slid out of its prison, enclosed in her right hand. “Oops…”

Felix turned at her surprised gasp. His eyes widened infinitesimally in shock. Adrien, who had been focused on his cousin’s approaching claws, also turned to look at Marinette and his heart nearly stopped in his chest.

 _‘Shit, shit, shit,’_ he thought as he realized that Felix would likely turn on the girl instead. He knew she must still be worn out if she hadn’t transformed yet and he doubted the Vorpal Blade or Playing Cards would be much use against his supercharged cousin.

“I’m sorry…” Marinette said blinking at them. “It just… slipped out.”

“Don’t turn your back on me!” Adrien yelled, trying to regain Felix’s attention. He thrust his right hand out and punched nothing but air.

Felix was already poised in front of Marinette, staring down at her with curiosity burning in his hollow eyes.

“Well played, Guardian,” he said slowly looking the girl up and down as if she were an ant he was about to crush beneath his perfectly polished shoe. “Knowing I always work alone you made it possible for only one without the power of the black cat to pull the baton from the stone…”

“No matter, now the girl will just have to die first,” he continued, shifting his intense stare to her eyes so that they bore into her mercilessly. “Does this situation seem familiar, cousin? This companion of yours is just as helpless as that little fox wench.” This last sentence, directed at Adrien, confirmed Felix's identity as the Copy Cat the Elder had seen. Adrien’s heart filled with a cold rage.

Before either Marinette or Adrien could respond, Felix thust his hand out and furiously swiped round after round of rapid fire Cat Scratches at Marinette.

Adrien cried out and moved forward but knew he would never make it in time to shield her.

Seeing as she didn’t have enough reserve yet to protect herself, Marinette swung the baton in front of her body instinctively.

To everyone’s wonder, when the black blades came within range, the baton glowed green, elongated to a length of about six feet, and began to spin in circles before Marinette, absorbing all of the intended attacks. It dropped back into Marinette’s open right hand when the air was clear.

“Hmm…” Felix glared as he closed his hand into a fist and pulled his arm back. “I see. The baton is protecting you. How can it be that a person other than Chat Noir can wield the baton?”

Adrien let out the breath he’d been holding. He was unbelievably relieved that Marinette was safe.

That’s when Felix noticed Marinette’s earrings. “Ah. So the rumors are true. Ladybug has once again returned to Wonderland,” he growled then bounded to the other side of the enormous room. A whirlwind of light began to surround him.

Copy Cat’s eyes turned bright yellow, his pupils becoming more slit-like. His face and body elongated into that of a huge feline. As the bright light began to recede, Adrien and Marinette could see that Felix was transforming into an enormous panther.

Adrien took the opening to run the rest of the way to Marinette’s side. “You all right?” he asked looking her over for signs of injury.

“Yeah, not a _scratch_ ,” she said plunking the baton into his hand. “Now please use this to kick your cousin’s ass.”

She smiled brightly and spun him so he faced Felix, baton brandished. Hating her need for more rest, she stayed behind the boy, letting him play knight in shining armor once more.

At this point, Felix’s transformation was complete and he let out a loud roar that bounced off the enclosing walls. Adrien leapt towards the massive cat and struck its back with the baton. It bounced off harmlessly and Adrien was immediately forced to somersault away in order to dodge the large paw that flew at him from behind.

“This thing can barely even bruise him,” Adrien shouted in frustration. He wanted to throw the baton aside and just transform, but the words of the Cheshire Cat stopped him. Besides, after two transformations in one day without sleep, he wasn’t even sure he could get his Claws Out.

The panther leapt towards Adrien, snapping his great jaws down on the spot where the boy would have been if he had not vaulted out of the way. The great creature lifted his head, shaking it back and forth as acidic, black drool began to drip from between his teeth. A toxic black fog was beginning to fill the mausoleum.

“Marinette, start running!” Adrien yelled to her. “Hurry!”

He continued to parry and dodge Felix as the panther pounced and snapped at him.

Marinette began moving at full speed towards the entrance, still limping because of her calf.

“Adrien!” she turned and shouted back when she reached the open doorway. “You have to get out of there too!”

The poison was already noticeably affecting him. His muscles were starting to cramp up and the edges of his vision were darkening.

When the panther was next facing away from him after a particularly close call, Adrien crouched down and began running towards the entrance as well.

He didn’t get quite as far as he had wanted before he needed to stop and lean against a wall to breathe. “Fuck,” he let out the whispered expletive. “I can barely move my arms and legs…”

He tried to thrust one leg forward while using the baton as a walking stick.

“Watch out!” Marinette’s strangled yell from up ahead came a beat too late as panther Felix jumped out of the poison fog and clamped his jaws around the paralyzed Adrien. The vicious cat dragged him back towards the center of the mausoleum, biting down on his prey. He shook Adrien to and fro, preparing to snap him in half.

Once again the only thing between Adrien and mortal injury was his Flunderfluff coat. The coat couldn’t block out everything. He felt sharp stabs of pain as the steadily increasing pressure of the panther’s powerful jaws cracked a few of his ribs. The agony kickstarted his body, giving him the adrenaline-fueled strength necessary to raise the baton and jab it into the cat’s closest huge yellow eye.

Felix loosened his grip but did not release Adrien completely. Instead he took a blind leap forward and broke through a weakened wall.

Adrien was able to pry Felix’s jaws open enough to slip out and dropped down to land painfully on his side. The sudden brightness outside the mausoleum caused both Adrien and Felix to instinctively shut their eyes.

Marinette had made it out minutes earlier and now darted forward to drag Adrien away from Felix. The panther was pawing at his injured eye, despite the fact that Adrien had pulled the baton out when he fell from the creature’s jaw. She managed to tug Adiren a safe distance away and laid him out on his back to examine him.

The mammoth feline was starting to poise himself for another attack despite the viscous, blood-tinged fluid slowly trickling from his left eye socket.

Marinette had never tried to use her healing powers outside of Miraculous Ladybug, but if there was ever a time she thought she could, it was now. She focused all of her energy on Adrien and felt a soothing warmth spread from her earrings to her hands, causing them to glow a soft pink.

She pressed her hands to the injured boy’s chest and felt as his bones knit themselves back together and the poison was forced from his veins. Unfortunately, this act drained any and all energy she had regained up to this point.

“You better… appreciate this,” she panted, feeling faint. “Now I’ve… left… myself… completely vulnerable.”

He sat up and turned to look at her in amazement, shocked to see unconcealed fear in her eyes. Despite everything they had been through up until that point, he had not once seen her look so terrified. _‘She must not be used to relying on other people.’_

“Marinette, don’t go falling apart on me,” he said, part of him wanting to embrace her to offer some physical form of comfort. A bigger part of him, still scared of attachment, didn't let him. His words alone would have to do.

“Well what am I supposed to do?” she murmured hoarsely as she sat back on her heels. “Fight that thing with my barehands if it comes at us again?”

“No!” Adrien half-shouted standing up. “You should shut up and let me protect you!” He stepped in front of her and turned to face his cousin, the baton once more brandished before him. Felix lowered himself, preparing to spring.

Adrien felt the baton pulse in his sweaty palms. _‘What the… it’s like the pulse from before but this time… this time it feels like the baton is waking up.’_

He felt a sudden certainty that the next hit would be able to wound the panther. Now that his motivation was protecting Marinette instead of hurting Felix, Adrien had the premonition that the baton would help him.

Felix leapt forward at the same time Adrien did and the baton glowed a brilliant, blinding green.

The light distracted Felix and he hesitated for the split second Adrien needed to land a blow on the great beast's right shoulder joint. The green light from the baton traveled outward and sliced the panther’s entire right leg off.

Adrien landed on the stunned creature’s back and used it as a springboard to summersault into the air, landing back where he had started in front of the still kneeling Marinette.

Felix took a few bewildered steps backward, yowling wildly. He looked from his severed leg, which was transforming back into a human arm, to the baton in Adrien’s hands. Felix knew this fight was lost, but his pride would not let him surrender. He took a last wild leap toward his younger cousin.

Adrien smirked and said, “Goodbye, Copy Cat.” He ran forward and slid under the airborne panther, swinging at the feline’s exposed chest as it arced overhead. Once more, an arc of green light flew from the baton and left a long, deep slice in the cat's underbelly.

Felix fell on his side with a sickening crunch, but was somehow still breathing. The outline of a purple butterfly suddenly appeared on the injured cat’s face. The purple spread to engulf the barely alive antagonist in a ball of light, which promptly sped upwards and out through a portal that had formed in the sky.

Adrien stood panting. He raised the baton carefully. After a moment, it started to shrink back down to less than its original size, until it was about a foot in length. Once it was done shrinking, he clipped it to his belt. “Guess when there’s no one to protect you hibernate, huh?" he whispered down to it. "Another reason to keep Marinette around I suppose.”

He ran back towards said girl and crouched in front of her so that they were at eye level. He was surprised to feel her arms encase him for the second time that day as she gave him the biggest hug she could manage in her current state, her face buried in his chest. “That was amazing!” came her muffled shout.

A blush crossed his face and after a quick moment he pushed her back. “Told you not to worry.”

“Well done,” came the voice of the Cheshire Cat from behind the duo. “I suggest resting here for the time being, nothing else will come after you in this place,” it said before silently disappearing once more. They both wondered if the Cat had in fact ever really left at all.

“You know…” Adrien began, “I don’t understand why he keeps toying with us instead of just telling us what it is we need to do.”

“That makes two of us,” Marinette said. “But, at the very least, he seems to be on our side.”

The pair decided they would make a base camp near the bones where Marinette had stashed the Elder's black backpack and stay there until they were both well rested.

 

!@#$%^&*()_)(&*^%$#@!#$%^&*()_)&*(^%$#@$%^&*()(*&^%$@#$%^&*()(*&^%$#@

 

Woof! Thought I would never finish that chapter! **Next time: School Daze** in which two new playmates are found.

 

 


	7. School Daze

 

_"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."  
\-- **Mark Twain**_

 

Adrien and Marinette didn’t know when they would be able to find a safe enough place to rest again so they decided to stay in the graveyard for a of couple days. Besides food, the Elder’s pack contained a firestarter so they were able to cook some of the random game that Adrien managed to hunt down. The pair scavenged during the day and slept around their cooking fire at night.

Adrien had also recognized a few plants with healing properties and they planned to gather as many as they could carry so Marinette wouldn’t continue to drain her energy using her newfound healing powers.

 

)(*^%$#@!

 

On the first day, Adrien told Marinette more about his cousin. They couldn’t be sure Felix was dead since his body had been spirited away by that mysterious purple light, so Adrien figured it was best if Marinette knew as much about the Copy Cat as possible.

Turned out, Felix had found out Adrien’s identity as Chat Noir not too long after the battle that led to Lila’s downfall.

Adrien had been staying on and off in his old family manor at the time of the reveal. Unbeknownst to him, Felix would occasionally stay there too. He’d caught Adrien mid-transformation in an upstairs hallway and had fled before Adrien got over the shock of being discovered.

Felix had always been antagonistic towards his younger cousin, for reasons Adrien suspected had to do with the way the title of King of Spades was to pass down through the family, but he’d never have believed him capable of true evil.

Alas, he’d heard hearsay that his cousin had joined forces with Hawkmoth of his own volition. Adrien postulated that it was the discovery of Chat’s civilian identity that had pushed Felix over the edge and into seeking power from the self-proclaimed dictator of Wonderland.

After hearing all this, Marinette made some attempts to comfort Adrien, but left the boy largely on his own for the rest of the day to give him time to sort through his own thoughts.

 

)(*^%$#@!

 

On the second day, Adrien found a large die inside the pocket of a jacket worn by one of the numerous skeletons in the graveyard. He could feel a strange power within the die and gave it a small toss.

The die rolled a foot or so, landing with the one face up and out burst a demon.

He had enough time to note that it vaguely reminded him of the Cheshire Cat before it sprung at him, claws extended. He used an empty jar in the same skeleton’s hand to trap the creature just before it hit him. The demon struggled for a bit against its prison but soon ceased and sat sullen and seething within.

Now that it wasn’t moving he got a better look at it. The demon appeared to be a miniature flying black cat.

 _“Why call me forth if not to utilize my power?”_ it spoke, glaring at him.

 _“What are you?”_ Adrien cocked his head at the tiny but ferocious-looking thing.

 _“The demon of the dice,”_ it replied, the, “Duh,” implicit in its voice, although its eyes did open widely in surprise. Adrien could not guess why. _“Otherwise known as Plagg.”_

_“Dice? So there are more than one of them?”_

_“Indeed,”_ Plagg smirked. _“There are three of them to be exact. With each one added to the toss, my power increases. And the bigger the number, the bigger my range. Roll three sixes and I have the power to destroy an army.”_ The demon looked down disgustedly at its puny form.

 _“You wouldn’t happen to know where the other dice are, would you?”_ Adrien asked, envisioning the potential of this new toy.

Plagg shook his head, but then smiled slyly at the boy. _“If you were to find them though, I could work in your favor, kid. Be warned though,”_ he started to conclude as he began to be sucked back into the die. _“Without ample enemies to face in the time I have before the die imprison me once more, I will turn on the thrower. I have no loyalties.”_ And with that, the demon was gone.

Marinette, who had witnessed the encounter from afar, finally made it over to Adrien. “What was that about?”

“I think I just found another toy. Unfortunately, it’s incomplete… and a little bit of an asshole.”

“Interesting,” she said, stifling a laugh. “The Cheshire Cat failed to mention that some of the toys would be for you. I wonder why it attacked you if you are meant to wield it…”

“Didn’t you hear it talking?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I think your brain might be broken. Hearing voices perhaps? That thing didn’t say a word and neither did you for a matter of fact.”

 _‘I hadn’t even realized,’_ Adrien thought with a start. ‘ _Maybe only the true bearer of the dice can hear and respond to the demon. No wonder it was so surprised when I replied. He’s probably only accustomed to ignorant grave visitors accidentally waking him.’_

“Well,” Marinette said turning towards camp. “I didn’t find anything useful. Unless you’re in the market for another ring?”

Adrien’s eyes widened in disbelief at her retreating back and he stood frozen for a few seconds. A genuine smile crossed his face as he jogged forward to catch up with her. “Is that your way of proposing?” he teased her when he was back at her side.

Marinette let out a snort, her cheeks taking on a pink tint as her head snapped towards his beaming face. “As if!” she managed to squeak. Her brain had short-circuited at the way he was looking at her.

They continued the hike back to camp, teasing each other and laughing the entire way. Marinette hadn’t felt this happy since she was eight.

As they walked, the eyes of the Cheshire Cat followed them knowingly from on high before he leapt into the air and vanished.

 

!@#$%^&*()

 

As they packed up camp on the morning of the third day, Marinette was not enthusiastic in her mission. Since the duo had found a river running through a part of the graveyard in their explorations and used it to bathe and wash their clothes during their stay, she was cross to be leaving a place where they had proper food, safety, and the ability to stay clean, things she hadn’t even had at Rutledge, the supposed, “leading institution for the care and treatment of the mentally ill.”

In fact, since she had gotten to Wonderland, she had gained a few pounds (most of it muscle); her hair had lost the drab, greasy look; and she looked significantly healthier all around. Adrien even noticed that her eyes had started to look more like the shining gems they surely had been once upon a time. _‘Maybe I should stop eating…’_ she thought with a grimace. _‘Wouldn’t want my period to start up while I’m here. I doubt they have sanitary napkins in Wonderland.’_

For his part, Adrien had been more than prepared for this “peaceful” respite to end. He’d continued to be wary. In fact, long after Marinette had gone to sleep every night he’d kept watch and, even asleep, he had allowed himself to slip under only far enough that he could still spring into action at the smallest sound of danger.

While he had begun to trust the girl, he still didn’t trust the world at large and he definitely had the feeling that they were being watched. Even if it was probably just that damn Cheshire Cat. He didn’t like anyone that seemed to be toying with him as extremely as their supposed guide was.

The duo figured that even after a few days, there was probably at least one guard standing watch over the portal entrance, maybe even a Boojum or two, which could prove disastrous to Adrien in particular. They had decided to transform and simply burst forth from their portal, making a mad dash for the next portal, which, if memory served them, was only a couple of feet away.

After transforming, Ladybug used some cloth she tore from her petticoat to stop up her ears. Then she slung on the Elder’s pack and climbed onto Adrien’s back. Even transformed, he would still be able to run faster than her so they figured a ride-along approach would be most efficient.

“One…” Chat Noir started the countdown. Marinette heard the muffled number and squeezed her thighs a little tighter around his waist as she unclasped her hands from around his neck to cup them over his ears.

“Two…” Ladybug continued. Chat Noir heard her softened voice and moved to stand in front of the portal. He bent his knees like a runner at a starting block preparing to spring forward.

“Three!” Chat Noir shouted as he burst forward and shot through the portal.

They had been right. There were two cards guarding the entrance as well as a Boojum. However, the three hired hands had been nowhere near attention and the monstrous looking figure barreling at them nearly scared them into a stupor.

Ladybug and Chat Noir disappeared into the next portal without so much as a warning shout announcing their brief reappearance.

 

)(*^%$#@!

 

“The name Fortress of Doors seems appropriate…” Ladybug said.

The corridor they had ended up in was free of enemies for the moment, so she had slipped off of Chat’s back while simultaneously removing the wad of cloth from one of her ears. She unhitched her yo-yo from her waist nonetheless, just in case they were ambushed.

There was a seemingly endless line of doors flapping open and shut along the length of the corridor and on the rare instances when they were all ajar at the same time, Ladybug and Chat Noir could see card soldiers pacing back and forth at the end of the corridor beyond them.

“I don’t see any Boojum,” Chat Noir said peering ahead. “But I can smell them…”

“I can’t just keep riding your back forever,” Ladybug said with frustration as she removed the other wad from her ear.

“What other options do we have?” He said back, rolling his eyes. “I am not sticking anything in my ears. They’re too sensitive.”

“How do you think the Boojum produce such debilitating screams?” came the Cheshire Cat’s voice from a nearby ledge.

The duo was so used to his random appearances that they didn’t even jump.

“Why don’t you just travel with us? You pop up often enough that it’s like you never leave,” Ladybug said as she turned towards him raising a questioning eyebrow.

“Maybe I don’t,” the Cat replied testily. “If you must know, you two are not the only ones I’m helping; your journey is not the only I must keep an eye on. If you are to defeat Hawkmoth a series of carefully orchestrated events must be set into action, thus bringing a unique cast of characters together. Someone has to pull the strings. That someone is me.”

“And what makes you so special?” Chat Noir asked. The Cat’s little speech had made him even more suspicious than before.

“Some of us have been in Wonderland longer than others,” the Cat glared down at the boy. “I am one of these few ancient creatures and, besides the White Rabbit, I am also the only one who was mostly immune to the King’s power. The White Rabbit cannot travel as I do, and I cannot leave this world as he can, so he must act as courier while I act as puppet master. Think of me as the last non-Miraculous guardian of Wonderland. And before you ask, yes, my existence is tied to that of Wonderland. It dies, I die.”

Chat Noir and Ladybug were more reassured now that they understood the Cat’s motivations, but they still didn’t like the fact that he had referred to them as puppets.

“Their throat muscles?” Marinette finally answered the cat’s original question after a silent beat.

“No,” Chat Noir said before the cat could. “They use a specialized organ in their necks called a Screecher, to produce the sounds.”

“Ah,” said the cat. “Smarter than he first appears… And we all know someone here with long range weapons that could damage those organs beyond repair at a distance, don’t we?” He smiled broadly, his eyes shifting obviously towards Marinette before he vanished.

“Okay,” Marinette said. “So if I can take out their screaming ability from a safe distance, we can get close enough to kill them without worry.” She hooked her yo-yo back to her waistband and drew five of the playing cards from her apron instead.

She chose a card at random and held it in her right hand, one of the four corners pinched between her thumb and index finger. She flexed her elbow so that the card was laying parallel to her right cheek. After a few steadying breaths she gave a sharp flick of her wrist. The card went spinning forward, smoothly turning end over end like a throwing knife.

Her aim and timing were perfect and it went whirling through the open doors and hit one of the pacing guards in the butt. The soldier turned, angry and confused, to yell at his fellow guard as he pulled the offending weapon from his derrière.

Chat Noir and Ladybug grinned.

“Think you can do that fast enough?” he asked her flexing his claws. He didn’t think using his new baton against such puny enemies was worth it.

“Guess we’ll find out,” she said stepping forward to the first door.

“Ladies first?” Chat Noir asked getting ready to run through the swinging doors after her.

Without replying, Ladybug fanned the remaining cards out in her left hand and ran forward, pushing the doors open one right after the other. She took the guards by surprise when she burst through the last door, so she had ample time to spot the four circling Boojum that all turned to look at her at the same time.

When the Boojum began to open their mouths, she rapidly flicked four cards, one right after the other, straight into their necks without hesitation or pause.

Chat Noir burst out of the last door right after her and began to rip into the cards that had been pacing back and forth on watch. He was very efficient, driving his claws straight into their hearts or cleanly taking off their heads left and right.

Ladybug kept up with the long range attacks by switching to her yo-yo. She flung it so that the wire-like string wound tightly around one of the hovering Boojum. She then gave her end of the the yo-yo a quick jerk, causing the wire to slice into the Boojum. It exploded in a bright fiery burst. She continued in this manner until all the Boojum had been vaporized.

Ladybug heard a whoosh and felt a slight sting as the razor card she’d embedded in one of the guards butts came slicing past her, leaving a superficial cut on her left arm. She looked up and saw a diamond up on a platform to the left preparing to throw a second. He must have scooped them up as they dropped from where the Boojum once hovered.

Sensing another projectile, Marinette jerked her head to the right and saw a spade releasing a spear in her direction. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a blur of black moving towards her so she turned her attention back to the card on the left, switching the yo-yo to her left hand and pulling the Vorpal Blade out of her boot with her right.

As Ladybug did this, Chat Noir caught the spear she had seen flying at her, about an inch before it hit her, and smoothly swung it around before throwing it back at the guard all in one motion. It went expertly through the soldier’s eye, driving into the unlucky spade’s brain and out the back of his head. He dropped instantly.

The spade’s partner fared little better. Knowing Chat Noir had her covered on the right, Ladybug took the blade and threw it at the diamond before it could release its second attack. The blade lobed soundly in the card’s heart and Ladybug ran forward to recover it as the soldier slumped down to the ground. She quickly called all her razor-edged playing cards back using her earrings.

The corridor of doors had lead the duo out onto a platform overlooking dark open space. Besides the platforms the soldiers had been standing on, Ladybug and Chat Noir could see another portal on a larger platform on the other side of the open abyss.

“Can you make that jump?” Ladybug asked turning to Chat Noir. She wiped the blood off the Vorpal blade and slipped it back into her boot.

“Nope,” Chat Noir replied looking around. “Check those out though.”

Ladybug looked past him to see the three levers he was pointing at.

“Maybe a puzzle of sorts…” Ladybug said starting to walk towards them. When she reached the closest one, she gave it an experimental pull. An awful out of tune chord sounded around them as though someone had slammed their hands down on all the keys on the far left of a piano. “Don’t think that’s right,” she said cringing as she released the lever.

Chat Noir had walked over to the middle lever and now pulled it. The same discordant sound echoed. “Crap, not this one either. Must be the last one then,” he took a step over and pulled it. A pleasant bell tolled brightly when he did, but no bridge appeared.

“Maybe more than one?” Ladybug said and gave hers another pull. This time, another bell sounded, one that was an octave higher than the first, but again no bridge appeared.

Chat Noir let out a frustrated sigh and stepped over to pull the middle one again. This time, as a third bell another octave higher sounded, a bridge began to piece itself together. They hurried to cross it as it locked into one long chessboard.

When they were about halfway across, two Boojum rose up from below already opening their mouths to scream. Marinette was still carrying the yo-yo in her left hand so she reached into her pocket with the right and pulled out two razor cards. With two well-aimed throws, she disabled their screaming capabilities before the Boojum had gotten out little more than squeaks. Chat Noir leapt forward and cleanly sliced the gurgling creatures in two with his claws.

Chat Noir and Ladybug soon reached the large platform and dove through the portal before another wave of guards could show up.

 

)(*&^%$#@!

 

The portal took them back to the outer wall of the fortress, but this time they were on top with the guards that had attacked them when the airship had first approached.

“You take care of any Boojum and I’ll handle the soldiers,” Chat said to Ladybug as he pounced forward towards the cards that were rushing at them.

Ladybug looked around and saw six Boojum coming in their direction. She quickly ran down the line of them, throwing out one card per floating monster. Each hit its intended target in the throat. The Boojum were more determined this time however. Once the creatures realized they couldn’t use their screams, they continued to fly at her and Chat with the intention of shredding them apart with their gleaming talons.

By this time, Chat had taken care of all the cards that had been near the portal exit, so he turned to face the oncoming Boojum too. He leapt into the air and killed two of them with the swipe of his claws.

Ladybug didn’t want to risk hitting Chat with the playing cards, so she switched her yo-yo to her right hand and prepared to use the body of the yo-yo as a blunt weapon.

The first Boojum to reach her took a fatal hit to the head before she turned slightly and hit another in the abdomen.

Chat landed and turned to face the last two living Boojum that his initial attack had missed. The creatures were facing away from him because they were flying at Ladybug, so he drove his claws through their backs and pulled their hearts out from behind. He promptly threw them to the ground while the organ-less bodies caught fire and burned.

The pair looked quickly at each other to make sure the other was alive and uninjured. Then Ladybug’s eyes drifted passed Chat. She saw another wave of card soldiers running along the wall towards them.

“We probably have to go that way,” she pointed behind him at the approaching mass.

“Climb on then,” Chat said turning around. “I run a whole hell of a lot faster than you. Just throw the cards at them to cover me.”

Ladybug attached the yo-yo back to her waist and jumped on Chat. He took off running as she pulled the deck from her pocket. When they were within range, she began throwing the cards, using her earrings to speed them up enough to slice completely through the soldiers’ bodies and quickly calling them back to the deck. Any guards she didn’t hit before the duo reached the wave were taken care of by Chat in a few quick swipes.

Soon the pair reached the end of the wall where a door opened into a garret. Card soldiers were pouring through the door making entrance impossible.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ladybug saw a flash of blue and green to her left. She turned her head and saw a figure running away from the window of a building that was swaying back and forth in the middle of the fortress, maintaining a constant rocking motion towards and away from the outer wall. She grabbed hold of a chunk of Chat’s hair and swung his face in the direction of the window.

“I think you should jump over there!” she shouted over the pounding of the card’s approaching footsteps.

Without hesitation, Chat ran to the far side of the outer wall and paused as the building swung back towards the wall. When the building was near the height of its swing he ran and leapt for the window. Instead of crashing through glass, the two were absorbed through the window like they had been through the portals.

 

!@#$%^&*()

 

The duo found themselves in a school. They weren’t sure if the soldiers were going to be able to follow them so they turned to face the window they had come through and stood poised to attack. After waiting a few minutes they decided that for whatever reason, they wouldn’t be pursued, so they turned to examine the room they had appeared in.

It was some sort of classroom although it looked like it had been badly vandalized. Besides excessive wear and tear, most of the desks were overturned, papers were scattered all over the floor, and the chalk that was supposed to be used on the board had been used to scribble all over the floors and walls.

“What made you want to come in here?” Chat asked Ladybug as he inspected some of the incomprehensible scribbles on the closest wall.

“I saw something flash in the window. It looked like an exotic bird…”

 **“Congratulations on falling perfectly into my trap!”** a voice echoed around the room as the lights dimmed.

Ladybug and Chat instantly stood back to back. He put his hand on his baton’s hilt as she traded the cards in her hand for the Vorpal blade.

 **“Now hand over the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous,”** the voice continued. A huge blue bubble popping out of the semi-darkness and moving forward to enclose the duo.

Ladybug’s and Chat’s eyebrows twitched simultaneously. The glow from the bubble illuminated a poorly concealed boy squatting behind a desk. He was wearing an outfit that screamed peacock and was snickering to himself.

Ladybug pushed the blade back into her shoe and Chat took his hand off the baton. He then proceeded to roll up his right sleeve and make a fist, which he promptly drove straight into the top of the bubble blower’s head. 

“Ow, ow, ow! Now what’d you do that for, dude?” said the bubbler as he rubbed his head.

“For wasting my time,” Chat Noir said with his teeth still grit.

“It was only a joke!” the young stranger continued. “You should be nicer to me. If I hadn’t totally shown you the way here, you would still be out there fighting, dude!”

Ladybug bent down so she would be eye level to the crouching boy. “And that was very thoughtful of you,” she said in a calming voice. “My name is Ladybug and this is Chat Noir.”

The boy sat up instantly, the wetness in his eyes drying so fast it was like the hit hadn’t even happened. He jumped to his feet and extended a hand for her to shake. “My name is Paon,” he said as she stood and took it with a smile. “Since a little kitty already informed me y’all are the legit Ladybug and Chat Noir, I feel comfortable saying outright that I am the wielder of the Peacock Miraculous.”

“You wouldn’t be referring to the Cheshire Cat when you say that, would you?” Ladybug asked him, brow raised.

“I most certainly am, du… I mean Ms. Ladybug,” Paon said letting go of her hand and sheepishly scratching the nape of his neck with it.

“So what are you doing alone in a place like this?” Chat Noir asked, giving Paon the side-eye.

The dark-skinned boy turned to face him. “My partner and I were led here by the aforementioned feline.”

“Huh,” Ladybug said shortly. _‘Partner he says…’_

“QB and I got separated when we entered the school,” Paon continued, answering Ladybug’s unasked question. “Marjorly uncool. I don’t think we’ve actually been here for too long, but ya know how time is in Wonderland,” he shrugged.

Ladybug and Chat exchanged the briefest of glances. 

“I know what you two are thinking: _'How did this seemingly mellow dude come to wield a Miraculous?'_  " Paon began after seeing their exchange. "The answer is: By total accident, bros. See, my dad used to protect orphaned children out in the forest, but he was killed and me and all the other kids were captured by some of Hawkmoth’s mega-harsh mercenaries. I managed to escape, but I didn't know how to rescue the others. I ran back to my dad’s body, thinking I could find his secret weapon or something. What I found was this broach in a hidden pocket of his jacket.” Paon tapped the peacock pinned to his shirt for emphasis.

“I wandered for a long time before I met QB. She’s the one who explained the Miraculous to me. Once I figured out how to use the broach, we teamed up and went around fighting off Hawkmoth’s akuma whereever we could. The Cheshire Cat showed up a few weeks ago to guide us here..." He trailed off. "I never knew what had happened to those other kids, but now I know I was one of the lucky ones…” 

“How so?” Ladybug asked. _‘Losing your dad and having a Miraculous thrust upon you without proper consent or training doesn’t sound very lucky.’_

“I’ll show you, dudes,” Paon started edging towards the classroom door. “We have to be super chill though. There are cards everywhere.” Ladybug, who had crept up behind Paon to follow him out, felt him shiver.

“Oh, so now we’re taking this clown with us?” Chat Noir said scowling. He had been mostly silent till now.

“That reminds me,” Paon said looking at Chat and smirking. “The Cat said, _‘Tell the sourpuss not to make that face. He should get used to company, there are two others coming besides the cock.’_ ” Paon stuck his tongue out to emphasize this last bit.

Chat looked like he was going to punch Paon again but Ladybug shot him a warning look.

“What makes that damn cat think I’m going to trust even more complete strangers with my life?” he grouched instead.

“He probably knew you’d say that too,” Ladybug sighed. “Of course we’ll take you with us, Paon.”

“Whaaa??” Chat said. “But… but, Ladybug!”

“No buts,” she said putting a protective hand on their new teammate’s cowl. “I’m betting we need him, otherwise the Cat wouldn’t have brought us together.”

Chat looked like he was going to argue more but he just turned his back on them and began mumbling incomprehensibly.

“Well, now that that’s settled. Where are we supposed to go, Paon?” Ladybug asked.

“We’re gonna go left and take the grand staircase down to the ground level. There will be two sets of double doors in front of us and we can choose either one. Both lead into the lecture hall. That's where the kids are.”

Paon started to turn the knob. “Remember,” he finished hurriedly. “We gotta be quiet otherwise we’ll alert every guard to our location!”

Paon slowly pulled the door open. When the gap was wide enough, he stuck his head through. When he saw that the coast was clear, he slipped out and crouched down, staying close to the wall. When he reached the corner, he pulled a fan out of a leather sling on his back before standing up and inching forward to peek his head around the corner.

Chat rolled his eyes and walked out after him. He took one quick whiff and twitched his ears before walking up behind him and tapping him on the shoulder. “Coast is clear, crazy,” he said point blank. “Next time just ask before you go into stealth mode.”

“Jerk,” Ladybug said, coming up behind the pair and bopping Chat roughly on the back of the head.

Chat just shrugged and started heading towards the grand staircase.

Paon gave Ladybug a look that clearly said, _“And he thinks I’m the annoying pest?”_

“He grows on you,” she said shaking her head.

“I heard that!” said catboy yelled over his shoulder.

“Shhhh!” Paon stiffened, looking around fearfully.

“Calm down,” Chat said as Ladybug and Paon caught up to him. “Like I said, no one is close enough to cause us trouble right now.”

They reached the bottom of the stairs and crossed the hall to one of the sets of double doors. Chat pushed it open and they slipped inside.

They entered at the top of the hall’s seating area. Without a word the trio began to descend the steps down towards the stage. There was a group of fifteen or so kids moving about the stage as though they were in some sort of macabre play. As the group drew closer however, it became clear that none of the kids even realized that they were around other people. Each was lost in their own world. Some had metal screws drilled into their skulls, others were strapped into straight jackets, and one particularly disturbing child just sat unmoving in the center of the stage, a line of drool dripping from the rightside of his mouth and eyes open wide, staring out at nothing. Those that could move were dragging their feet as they paced and spoke nonsensical riddles. The rest could only sit, staring off into the distance as they rocked back and forth, babbling.

Marinette gasped as she took it all in.

_“They torture them until they break,_

_and then they’re left alone to wait,_

_and when the Hatter comes to play,_

_to Hell they go, and there they stay.”_

 

Chat and Ladybug turned to look at Paon. “That’s the rhyme the people in the nearby village used to sing to their kids to warn them not to stay out too late.” The boy blinked and seemed to come back to himself. “I tried to help them,” he continued, still staring up at the deranged children. “But I was too weak before I found the broach.” He clenched his fist as his eyes started to tear up. “They were like my brothers and sisters and I couldn’t save them. I couldn’t do a damn thing.” The tears were now streaming freely.

It all reminded Ladybug too much of herself: a family she hadn’t been able to save and all the truly ill patients at Rutledge lost to reality.

She took a few subconscious steps away from the stage before turning and running up the stairs back to the main hall. Paon hadn’t been expecting the sudden movement and he jumped nervously as she fled.

“What was that about?” Paon asked, shaken from his reverie.

“I wish I knew,” Chat said frowning, his eyes following Ladybug as she ran out and the double doors slammed shut behind her.

 

)(*&^%$#@!

 

Ladybug didn’t know where she was going, she just knew she had to get away from those kids. The Vorpal Blade was back in her hand, so she wasn’t worried about meeting any card guards. She ran back up the main staircase and went right. As she ran, she saw another flight of stairs in a passageway on her left and proceeded to take them two at a time.

She kept going till she reached the top floor and, not having any more up, ran out into the hall. She saw another set of double doors on the right and pushed through them only to find herself in a massive library. She stopped running as two guards who had been doing some off duty research turned to look at her. Before they had a chance to grab their weapons she took a few running steps and slashed one across the throat before doing a spin and plunging her blade into the other one’s heart. Blood spurted across her face and clothes as she pulled her knife free and their bodies fell. She quickly looked around for other guards before wiping the blade and her face with her apron.

She felt much better after that violent outlet and proceeded to peruse the shelves. She wandered until she found herself in a section that contained cookbooks.

She scanned the spines as she walked. _‘Mistress Marigold’s Marvelous Munchies; Truly Terrific Teas and Tarts; Potions, Poisons, and Punches…’_ She stopped in front of the last title.

 _‘Potions, huh?’_ She suddenly flashed back to when she was seven and she had picked up the little bottle labeled, “Drink me.”

She slipped her knife back into her boot before she eagerly picked the book up from the shelf and flipped to the index. She skimmed down the list until she came to one that looked promising. She turned to the corresponding page number and read, “In order to go sideways, one must become very small. The key to this potion are the poppies, if not added at precisely the right instant, one will go vertical instead.” She grinned brightly and dog-eared the page before slipping it into her dress pocket. She was about to continue her exploration when she suddenly sensed someone behind her.

“Congratulations on sneaking up on me,” she said without turning around.

“I wouldn’t reach for that if I were you,” came a feminine sounding voice from the shadows. Ladybug froze. She had been slowly inching her hand into the pocket she kept the cards in. “The Cat said you would be feisty,” the voice continued.

 _‘Hmmm. If she knows the Cat, maybe she’s a new playmate?’_ Ladybug thought.

She didn’t hear the stranger step forward, but she sensed her getting closer and then… she felt a hand on her ass. “You know I like fiesty,” the voice whispered into her ear. “How would you like to bear my children?”

Ladybug flushed scarlet and let out a screech of, “Perv!” as she spun around and punched the intruder with all her might.

“The Cat did not mention that you can’t take a joke,” came the woman’s muffled voice from where she’d fallen to the floor after the hit.

With that, Ladybug stomped her foot down on the back of her assaulter’s head.

 

!@#$%^&*()

 

Chat and Paon hadn’t stayed for long after Ladybug left. Chat had quickly checked to be sure nothing could be salvaged of the kids and then the two had headed up the stairs. It was still eerily empty so they just followed her scent without bothering to be extra quiet.

 _‘You can’t keep doing this, Ladybug,’_ Chat thought to himself as they walked.

“So are you and Ladybug dating or something?” Paon asked breaking into Chat’s musings.

“Hah! Hardly. I haven’t even known the girl for a week,” the blonde replied. It took him by surprise to say so though, it felt like he had known Ladybug for a lot longer than that. That feeling was also probably why her complete refusal to discuss her past was bugging him so much.

“Funny. You two fight like an old married couple,” Paon laughed. “That’s good though. I think I’ll ask her out if that’s the case.”

Chat reached over and grabbed the peacock roughly by the collar before dropping him on the ground.

“Hey! What’s the big deal? Thought you didn’t like her that way, bro?” Paon yelled from the floor. He stood quickly and ran to catch up with Chat, who had just made it to the stairwell.

They climbed in silence until they were about three floors down from the top and they both smelled the distant metallic tang of blood. Simultaneously, they broke into a run. As soon as they were at the top of the stairs, they found the same double doors Ladybug had passed through some minutes earlier, which led to the library.

Suddenly they heard a scream that was muffled by the closed doors. Chat and Paon burst into the doors with a yell of, “Ladybug!”

Upon entering, they instantly saw the bodies of the two guards Ladybug had slain, but saw no sign of the girl.

What sounded like a slab of meat being hit with a tenderizer echoed through the library and the two boys ran to continue following Ladybug’s scent. They rounded a final corner and came upon a strange scene. Ladybug was standing over a blonde woman dressed in loose black trousers, a black shirt, and a bright yellow-and-black-striped jacket.

Ladybug’s foot was on the back of the downed girl’s head, pressing her face into the library carpet. The blonde girl’s long ponytail was jutting straight up like a sign of surrender.

“If that Cat thinks I would travel with a nasty perv like you it has another think coming!” Ladybug yelled as she pressed more of her body weight onto the foot holding the beewoman down. Of course, Ladybug didn’t weigh that much so she was actually having very little real effect on the girl and she demonstrated so by simply jumping up, surprising Ladybug so much that she fell back into the bookcase she’d been in front of.

When the other woman stood, Chat and Paon could see the beginnings of a bruise forming around her left cheek. She had some sort of rapier in a sheath at her side.

“My Lady,” the woman's bright blue eyes flashed behind her black and yellow mask. “Why, I was only wiping a cobweb away! You can never be too careful when it comes to arachnids.”

“Right,” Ladybug said sarcastically, straightening up. “And I’m the Queen of Sheeba… Oh!” She finally noticed that they had an audience. Chat and Paon were gazing dumbfounded at the pair trying to piece together what had transpired. “Nice of you two to show up. Good news: I found a way for us to shrink. Bad news: I’m assuming this is your partner, Paon?”

“Now, now,” the newcomer said, flinging the end of her ponytail over her right shoulder. “No need to have such a tone of contempt. You should be honored that I find you so attractive.”

“Whaa?” Ladybug screeched. “Who are you to talk about honor?!”

“I’ll have you know,” the woman continued as she examined her fingernails, “That I am a very high ranking lady of the court! For now, you can call me Queen Bee, or Queenie, if you like.”

Ladybug almost did a face plant. _‘If this chick were any more full of shit, she would be a toilet in the infectious disease ward of a hospital.'_

Ladybug opened her mouth to rage at QB further but she was interrupted by the appearance of their shadowy feline friend.

“Ah,” the Cheshire Cat chose that most opportune moment to appear on top of a corner bookshelf. “The pieces just continue to fall into place so _purr_ -fectly.”

“Come on, Cat. We’re not pawns in some chess game,” Chat said baring his teeth.

“If you say so,” said the Cat shrugging. “If thinking that helps you sleep at night, I’ll play along.”

“You won’t believe so now," he continued, “but you all need each other. I would suggest catching up later, however. Right now, I would head to a place where the solution to your problem can be brewed. Company’s coming.” And without a further word, the four-legged fiend faded.

The four looked at each other for a few seconds then Chat took a step towards Ladybug, so that he was standing by her side. “Well I hope you two can keep up. As far as I’m concerned, I only need her. I don’t give a fuck about leaving anyone else behind.”

“Fair enough,” said Queen Bee grabbing her rapier. As she did, Ladybug and Chat both noticed a small dodo-shaped croquet mallet that was hooked through the sheath belt on her opposite hip and wondered if it could be another toy.

“Duuuude, is it tense in here or what?” Paon said.

QB smirked. “Not my fault. Nothing ever is, as you well know.”

Marinette turned red and imagined slitting the brat from her naval to her nose with the Vorpal Blade but turned on her heel instead. “I’m assuming this school has a chemistry lab of some sort. Let’s find it before company comes.”

Chat’s ears suddenly turned towards the unmistakable sound of footsteps entering the library. "Too late."

Paon blew a bubble and used it to float up to the top of the bookshelves to assess the situation. “Can’t go back the way we came!” he called down as he looked towards the main door. A wave of card soldiers was pouring in and spreading out in different directions to search the maze of a library. "But..."

“There’s a side exit with stairs leading down to the main floor at the right rear of the library,” finished Queen Bee.

Everyone gave her a look. “How do you think I got in here?” she said shrugging.

“You know the layout of this place well then?” Chat asked.

“Not at all,” the girl smiled broadly as her three companions face palmed.

“Well luckily, you’ve got me,” Paon chuckled from on high.

“Perfect,” Queen Bee said suddenly becoming quite serious. “You stay up there and give us directions for the path of least resistance. Ladybug, you may want to stay behind Chat and I. The Cat mentioned you might be... out-of-shape.” QB walked ahead of Ladybug and turned to give Chat a pointed look.

“You know…” Chat began.

“That sounds like a fantastic idea!” Marinette finished his sentence as she shoved him forward.

“But you’re…” Chat started again.

“So tired from all the walking! How is a girl supposed to maintain her dainty feet when they are worked to the bone like this?”  she cut him off again.

Chat was puzzled but decided to go with the flow. He stepped up next to QB. “You ever fight with that thing,” he asked nodding at the rapier.

“Oh,” Queen Bee replied twisting it in her palm. “Here and there.”

“Well, looks like it will be more of the here, dudes,” Paon said looking out over the maze of shelves from above them. “Go straight and take a left. There are three guards that way, but it’s better than the twenty closing in on you from the right.”

The four began to jog forward, Paon along the top of the bookcases and Chat and Queen Bee down below, clearing the way for Ladybug (who still held the knife in her hand in case the pair let something slip by).

 

!@#$%^&*()

 

Queen Bee was a better fighter than she had let on. A much better fighter. She wielded her rapier like she had been training all her life.

“What sort of ‘lady of the court’ are you?” Chat asked as they fought back to back against the guards that had circled them.

“The kind who had to fight to survive after her entire court was destroyed,” Queen Bee replied as she thrust the business end of her sword into the eye of a three of clubs. “Those hours of the day not devoted to sleeping, eating, and taking what I want, I have devoted to rigorous training.” She finished off the last card with a hard whack to its head using the butt of her weapon. The card’s skull caved in like clay, bone shards instantly buried in its brain and shutting down its body permanently.

Paon had run ahead a little to check the way and he came back panting. “If we go now, the rest of the way should be clear!”

Chat, Ladybug, and Queen Bee began running ahead.

“Left, left, right, left, right, then sprint as fast as you can, dudes!” Paon yelled out.

They followed his directions hastily, noting that there were several dead card guards pinned to the bookshelves by giant peacock feathers along the path. The trio made it to the stairwell door as another wave of cards crashed around the corner after them. Paon leapt off the shelf and followed just as the three burst through the door. He quickly turned around and held the door fast behind them.

A loud screeching noise sounded as Chat broke a pipe off of the wall and shoved it through the door handle, effectively sealing the door closed.

“Great job, Chat,” Marinette said patting him on the back before she turned to head downstairs.

“Hey, there,” QB waggled her eyebrows at his biceps approvingly.

 _‘What the…’_ Chat thought, jumping away from her and turning tail to run after Ladybug.

“You really need to reign it in, Q,” Paon said, shaking his head at her.

“It is well within my rights to appreciate the beauty of the human form, in all forms,” she scoffed before following the other two.

 _‘I’m surrounded by mad people,’_ Paon thought, walking after everyone. _‘Perhaps I should’ve just stayed in the lecture hall with my family…’_

“The chem lab is on the fifth floor at the end of the hall on the left, dudes,” he said out loud. “I hid in there two days ago and spent a few hours playing with the burners.”

“You shouldn’t play with fire,” Ladybug said paling a little.

He shrugged. “Bubbles are more my thing anyway,” he said as the group continued their descent.

When they made it to the fifth floor landing, Chat put an ear to the door and listened carefully. He could hear some footsteps.

“Well,” he said, “Who wants to take care of these guys?”

Ladybug grinned and cracked her knuckles.

“Oh, come on,” QB said. “You?”

Ladybug smirked and walked through the door when Chat opened it for her. He bowed as she went through. “After you then, My Lady.”

 

)(*&^%$#@!

 

“Okay,” Ladybug said locking the door. Much to QB’s disbelief, she’d made quick, and rather brutal work, of the card guards that had been stationed in the lab. Blood and body parts littered the floor and walls.

“Time to get down to business,” Ladybug said as she put her cleaned knife into her boot and pulled the recipe book from her pocket. She flipped it open to the page she had dog-earred earlier and read:

“Mushrooms, poppies, sugar and spice,

All those things are very nice

When combined the proper mixture,

Makes a getting small elixir.” 

She looked up from the book, “That sounds easy enough. Only three ingredients!”

“And I have two of them!” Paon said jumping up and down in excitement. He pulled some spiced candies and a handful of mushrooms from his pocket.

“What do you have mushrooms in there for?” Ladybug asked setting the open book down on the table before taking everything from his outstretched hand. She placed the ingredients on the table next to the mixing machine.

“We all need a little escape now and then,” he said blushing.

“Since you seem to know this school more than Queenie over there, happen to know where we can find poppies?” Marinette asked, quickly changing the subject.

“Umm… yes! There’s a garden on the main floor, LB. It has a sign for poppies but… I don’t recall there being flowers there,” he said disheartened. “They’ve barely sprouted...”

Ladybug frowned and began to rummage in the cupboards to see if a solution could be found.

“What are you doing?” Chat asked petulantly. “I’m all for giving up on this whole shrinking idea and finding a different route to Hawkmoth.” He had a way of making “shrinking” sound like a curse when he spoke.

“Why exactly do we need this potion?” Queen Bee broke in. Paon had been wondering the same thing too but hadn’t wanted to ask too many questions.

“We’re following the White Rabbit,” Ladybug answered while she continued to rummage. She had opened almost all of the cupboards already and most were empty. “He shrank and got away from us and we came all the way here to find a way to get small as well.” She got to the last cupboard and opened it to find a wide array of empty and liquid-filled bottles scattered about the shelves. She checked all the ones with liquid one at a time and found one marked, “Jumbo Grow.”

“Of course there would be a bottle of this here…” she said aloud both happy to have found a way to make the poppies grow and awed by Wonderland’s ever enduring ability to provide someone with just enough to keep going but not enough to complete their journey before they ought to. She did some quick thinking and continued, “Paon and I will go down to the garden and use this to mature the poppies for the potion. Chat and QB, stay here and guard the room.”

“No way in hell!” was Chat’s predictable response.

“Listen,” Ladybug hurried to explain. She’d expected everyone to have their own reservations about the plan. “Paon is the only one who knows the way and sure, he could tell us, but if we need to find an alternate route he actually needs to be there. He can’t go by himself in case he gets caught by the guards. We could all go, but it’s easier for two people to sneak around than it is for four and quiet is what we need. The less fighting we have to do the better. Paon and I are the only pair that’ll work because we won’t bicker the whole way. Also this way there isn’t any danger of either of our groups running off because Chat and I won’t leave each other behind.”

There was silence for a short while as everyone tried to find flaw in this reasoning before Queen Bee broke in. “Much as I don’t like it, Ladybug’s plan is rational.”

Chat ground his teeth before walking over to Marinette and pulling her to the side to have a hushed conversation.

Chat’s eyes bore into her with more intensity than usual, which sent a warm flood through her body. “Listen, I know you’re strong and all, but if you need help, you better call for me. Even if it’ll attract more guards, we’ll be able to take ‘em.”

Before she could say anything in response he turned and went back to stand by the door they had entered through to listen for cards. Ladybug could feel her heart pounding faster. _‘Sounds like he actually cares.’_ She shook her head and went over to Paon. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” he replied. Ladybug could feel him trembling slightly.

She pulled the knife out again and walked over to where Chat was standing by the door.

“Coast is clear,” he said before unlocking the door and opening it for them. Marinette walked through but was stopped just outside the room when Chat caught her wrist in his hand. A jolt shot up her arm as she jerked her head to look up at him.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” he said before quickly letting go and shutting the door.

 

!@#$%^&*()

 

Ladybug and Paon made their way down the staircase slowly, carefully pausing on every landing on the way to listen for the slightest bit of trouble. They made it all the way down to the main floor before they heard the sound of shuffling cards.

“Okay, let’s see what these babies can do,” Marinette said as she put the knife back into her boot and pulled the razor cards out of her pocket. “Which way is the garden?” she asked Paon.

“The door to the right of the closest set of lecture hall doors will take us there,” Paon responded. He was glad that Ladybug knew some of the layout of the school now, it made guiding her less challenging.

“Time for some 52 card pick-up!” she whispered gleefully as she opened the door a crack and threw the deck into the middle of the waiting cards. She focused on creating a tornado of blades and waited for silence to fall before she opened the door again and the pair made their way towards the garden door.

When they reached their exit she paused for a second to appreciate the destructiveness of the deck, and to call the cards back to her waiting pocket.

“Ew!” Paon exclaimed as a piece of intestine fell from the ceiling and hit him on the shoulder. "Uncool, dude."

Ladybug took that as her cue to open the door to the garden.

Once through the door, the pair descended a few stairs before Paon leapt forward and ran among the garden beds towards an empty plot in the corner. The room they were in was constructed like a greenhouse. All but the wall with the door that they had entered through was made of thick glass. Marinette could see out onto the school grounds but they stretched quickly into impenetrable darkness. She didn’t bother looking for long, as what little land had enough light to see looked devoid of life. Not wanting to keep Chat and QB waiting, she hurried over to Paon.

There was a wooden sign with a picture of a poppy crudely drawn upon it in crayon planted next to several green wisps struggling out of the ground. Marinette pulled the growth potion from her pocket and poured it out onto the baby shoots. Instantly, they began to elongate and after a few moments formed buds which burst open in a shock of color.

Paon gathered them up and shoved them into his trouser pockets before turning to go. He and Ladybug walked quickly back to the stairs and began to ascend.

“Hey, Paon,” she said as she put her hand on the knob. “Who takes care of this place? Shouldn’t all these plants be dead?”

She got her answer when she pushed the door open.

 

)&^%$#@!

 

When the door had clicked shut behind Ladybug and Paon, Chat and Queen Bee were left in an awkward silence.

The girl cleared her throat as if to say something, then looked as if she thought better of it. “We should just save the background stories for when everyone is present so we don’t have to repeat them, shouldn’t we?”

She began to walk around the room, examining all of the shelves and tables as she went to look for anything that might be useful on their journey. “Though the Cat said there would be a fifth so maybe we should even wait till then… I hope it’s another woman,” she paused to gaze off wistfully, imagining a foxy warrior babe dressed in an outfit way too scandalous to be protective fighting gear.

“Who are you?,” was all Chat replied. He had seated himself next to a window, one leg dangling over the counter edge and the other pulled in next to his chest so he could lean forward on it as he glared at Queen Bee. She seemed oddly familiar.

“It is very curious,” Queen Bee extricated herself from her daydreams. “Ladybug doesn’t seem like she's from here and yet she wields a Miraculous.” She turned to look Chat directly in the eyes.

The black cat was taken aback. The girl came off as a seemingly harmless snob, but the intensity of her gaze now made Chat remember that Queen Bee was not someone to trifle with. Years of training had turned the girl into a deadly weapon.

“Simply put, she doesn’t,” Chat shrugged and turned to look out the window. “But you’ll have to ask her more about that after we get out of here.”

Queen Bee frowned before resuming her search. She began to hum to fill the silence.

Suddenly, the room door burst open and Paon came skidding in. He flew straight to the mixing machine and, after a few moments of frantic searching, found a switch that he flicked to bring the machine to life.

Chat and Queen Bee instantly jumped to attention.

“Where’s Ladybug?!” Chat yelled at the other boy’s back as he continued to scramble to mix the potion according to the directions of the book Ladybug had left open on the table.

“Just hurry up and help me make this!” Paon yelled without pausing.

Chat ignored him and ran out the door, following Ladybug’s scent.

Queen Bee considered chasing after him but hurried over to help Paon instead. When she got closer she could see tears starting to well up in her partner’s eyes as he continued to brew. “She said she would meet us up here but the potion needs to be ready when she comes so we can leave immediately,” Paon said guilt heavy in his tone.

“Well then it will be,” Queen Bee rolled up her sleeves and set to work next to Paon.

 

!@#$%^&*()

 

When Ladybug opened the door there was a woman standing in the middle of the main hall. It was immediately apparent that it was Lila Rossi, the akuma formerly known as Volpina.

The ex-Miraculous wielder was wearing an orange Victorian style gown and bore no mask. The underskirts of the gown were a pure white that matched the bodice and inner fabric of the billowing sleeves. She was the same size as Ladybug but had an inch or so on her heightwise due to the dark orange heels she wore. Lila’s corset was cinched impossibly tight for someone who needed to breathe which caused Ladybug to wonder if she needed to at all. There was a foxtail necklace hanging from a chain around her neck and a long wooden flute clutched in her left hand. A pair of fox ears stretched out of the top of her long brown hair.

Lila was surrounded by the dismembered bodies of the card soldiers and seemed unperturbed by the mess. She looked up and stared directly at the pair before raising one side of her mouth in a deadly smile. Ladybug’s blue eye’s met Lila’s olive green ones with a jolt.

From the little she had heard about Volpina, Ladybug knew that Lila would likely be able to make quick work of them. Unlike the cards, she was a skilled fighter who had once been entrusted with the Fox Miraculous. As soon as Ladybug saw the girl start to take a step forward, she pulled Paon behind a nearby column so she could give him quick instructions. “Go back to the lab and make that potion as fast as possible!” she whispered hurriedly. “I’ll distract her and meet you up there as soon as I can.”

She shoved Paon towards the stairwell door. He turned to stare at her wide-eyed and took a step back towards her.

“Go!” Ladybug yelled “And don’t tell Chat. I can handle her.” She had just enough time to watch Paon turn tail when she sensed Lila to her right.

Marinette slid the Vulgar Blade from her boot and slashed out at what was now empty air.

“So you have finally come from that other world to destroy me,” Lila’s cold voice whispered in Ladybug’s left ear.

 _‘How did she move so quickly?!’_ Ladybug thought as she spun around the column and pushed off of it to somersault towards the middle of the room and get away from the voice.

When Ladybug stood, there were several instrument-devoid Lilas standing in a circle around the room, surrounding her. Disembodied flute music wafted through the air. As one, the Lilas pulled shuriken from their sleeves and threw them simultaneously in Ladybug’s direction.

Ladybug brought up the knife to deflect them, but felt none of them hit. Instead, the true flute-bearing Lila came around the pillar she had been using as a hiding place while her illusions threw their little daggers.

Distracted as Ladybug was, the real Lila was able to get close enough to grab her around the throat and push her back until she slammed her up against the wall. Before Ladybug could raise the knife again to slash her off, Lila grabbed her wrist and slammed it against the wall as well. The force of the blow caused Ladybug to drop the blade. She was stunned. Despite the restrictive clothing and fact that she was essentially a zombie akuma, Lila moved with all the speed and strength she must have formerly possessed.

Ladybug started to panic a little as she stared into the literally soulless eyes that burned into hers as the hand around her throat tightened its grip. _‘Don’t let yourself be intimidated,’_ she thought as her vision started to darken at the edges.

“Funny,” Lila said with a laugh. “I thought the Savior of Wonderland would be harder to kill.”

The taunt made Ladybug snap out of her fear and with a great burst, all of the razor cards exploded out of her pocket towards Lila.

The fox released her grip instantly, stumbling back and using her arms to shield her face. The cards hadn’t had enough momentum to slice through her and cause amputation as they did the guards, but Lila’s sleeves were in tatters and there were plenty of cuts on her arms and cheeks.

Ladybug had to use the wall for support as she summoned the cards back and reached down to grab the knife, holding it defensively in front of her.

Lila’s tongue flicked out of the side of her mouth to taste a droplet of blood that had trailed down from a cut under her eye. Her eyes widened slightly before she grinned broadly. “Now that’s more like it!” she said, her voice a dangerous whisper.

Just then, Chat burst through the stairwell door. The first person he saw was Lila and he froze as Ladybug and Paon had done earlier. Ladybug saw several emotions pass through his eyes as he stared in disbelief at this vision from his past.

Lila’s eyes narrowed and her gaze hardened once more. “I heard she freed you,” she spat, taking several slow steps towards the stunned boy.

Ladybug could feel a prickle in the air as some sort of energy blast began to charge. She quickly slide the knife back into her boot and unclipped her yo-yo from her apron tie.

“I didn’t think I would have the pleasure of killing you so soon!” On the last word, Lila lifted her flute and played a high-pitched trill that sent a large beam rushing at Chat.

Ladybug sent her yo-yo flying. It hooked around Chat’s foot and she gave it a sharp tug. Chat was jerked off of his feet and pulled across the floor by the shortening length of cord. The beam from Lila's flute missed him by inches and blasted a hole in the wall he had been standing in front of. When Chat reached Ladybug, the force of his slide sent them both tumbling back through an open door.

Ladybug jumped quickly back to her feet and slammed the door, thanking the gods that there was a working deadbolt on it.

“Run!” she yelled tugging on the stunned boy’s arm to pull him to a standing position. Chat quickly shook himself and followed her command.

Somehow they made it back to the lab without running into any guards. They tumbled into the room and Ladybug slammed it shut and locked it, hoping there was another way out.

“Can you tell if she’s following us?” Ladybug wheezed at Chat.

“No,” Chat said still clearly shaken. “She doesn’t have a scent anymore.”

Ladybug turned to look at the mixing machine where Queen Bee and Paon were currently stationed and gave them a pleading look. “Please, please, please, tell me that it’s finished.”

“Success!” Queen Bee said as Paon gestured to four vials full of a bright purple liquid.

“Okay, Paon,” Ladybug began giving a fearful glance towards the door. “Is there another way out of this room?”

“Only if we go through the window,” Paon said. “The astronomy tower is across the way.”

Ladybug ran over to the window and pushed it open. She had gotten half her body out to examine the distance to the tower when the laboratory room door began to rattle and buckle.

“Come out, come out to play my dears; I know how to assuage all your fears…” Lila’s voice issued the menacing rhyme through the door.

The distance to the astronomy window was too huge to jump.  

"Paon," QB snapped. "Time to glide!"

"Got it, Q!" he said, grabbing his fan. He threw it up into the air and yelled, "Feather Flight!" The fan flew out the window and then expanded. Once it was large enough for four people to sit on, it stopped growing and hovered in wait just outside.

Meanwhile, QB had muttered something that sounded like, "Royal Jelly," to herself and was coating the lab room door in an oozy golden substance. When she had finished and taken a step back, the substance crystallized. "That will only hold her for a few more minutes."

Both Paon's broach and a small hair comb in Queen Bee's hair that Ladybug had not noticed earlier gave off small beeps.

"All aboard, dudes!" Paon called as he jumped out of the window and onto his waiting fan.

Ladybug quickly shoved the vials into the apron pocket not containing her cards and clambered after him. As soon as she was seated, she called for a Lucky Charm. A red, black-spotted parachute fell into her lap and she strapped it to her back as quickly as possible.

“Hurry up!” she yelled to her other companions as her earrings gave their first warning beep.

QB ran and dove through the window tugging Chat, who had thankfully remembered to retrieve the Elder's backpack from the lab floor, after her. The poor boy seemed to be in a state of shock.

As soon as everyone was seated, a gust of wind blew up from below and the giant fan soared towards the astronomy tower window.

When the fan stopped, Ladybug, who was closest to the astronomy tower, hoisted herself though the window and found herself in scaffolding. She glanced down to see a portal in the floor far down below. _‘Guess we have to jump,’_ she thought grimacing.  _'Parachute will come in handy after all.'_

A few moments later, Paon bounded in, followed by Queen Bee, and last but not least, Chat. Paon gave a brief whistle and the fan shrunk back to its original size before floating into his hand. Another beep sounded.

“Here,” Ladybug said, pulling the vials out of her apron pocket and handing a portion of the shrinking potion to everyone.

Chat was staring numbly out of the tower window back towards the lab.

"Chat!" she cried desperately, forcing the vial into his left hand and using her hand to close his tightly around it. "Can you please focus on me?"

He turned towards her and gave a small nod.

“Okay,” she said. "I need you to use Cataclysm to destroy this tower as soon as we jump. Do you think you can handle that?"

His nod was a little stronger this time. 

“Perfect," she gave him a supportive smile. "Everyone, unstopper your vials. Drink. And then jump as soon as Chat uses Cataclysm!”

Chat called upon his power and when the black energy was starting to swarm around his right hand he gave a thumbs up to Ladybug.

After returning the thumbs up, she turned to look back at the lab window and coldness shot through her as she saw Lila through the frame staring straight at them. “Now!” she yelled, taking the cork out of her own vial and slamming the shot back as everyone else did the same. 

When his vial was empty, Chat slapped his palm on the wall of the tower and leapt into the unknown alongside the other three.

As the four fell and the tower crumbled around them, their bodies began to shrink rapidly. Ladybug hugged everyone together and right before they were about to slam into the portal, she pulled the parachute's rip cord.

 

@#$*()(*@!#$%^&*()(^%$#@#$%!@#$&*)(*&$#@@#$%()(*@@^&*())($@@#$%^&*())(

 

Oh manny, that chapter just kept going on and on, I wanted to keep this thing only 13 chapters long but if I keep this up I’m gonna need to split them into shorter segments. Next time: **Smoke and Mirrors** , get ready for the true illusionist!


	8. Smoke and Mirrors

_“_ _We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality.”_

 **_-_ ** **_\- Iris Murdoch_ **

****

The group of four landed with a thump on a sea of stones near a waterfall. Although there was a thick fog obscuring the surrounding landscape, the area was much brighter than the school they had just left behind. It took a few minutes for their eyes to adjust to the change.

“If I hadn’t been watching my own limbs shrink, I wouldn’t know that the potion had been a success,” Ladybug stated as she sat up and rubbed her lower back where she’d fallen on it. A chorus of beeps sounded in reply, echoing too loudly off of the surrounding stillness.

As the others slowly sat up and checked themselves over, Ladybug removed the parachute from her back, careful not to get caught up in the strings. She rolled the entire apparatus into a messy ball and threw it up in the air with a quiet, “Miraculous Ladybug!”

A swarm of glowing ladybugs burst forth and buzzed briefly around the group of Miraculous users before disappearing in a burst of pink light. No one in the party had been seriously injured, but the swarm healed all the minor cuts and bruises that had been acquired during their most recent escapades.

“Awesome, dude!” Paon said in wonder as he rubbed the place on his forearm where a nasty looking abrasion had just been.

“Too bad it won’t extend the time we have left,” Ladybug sighed. “I’d like to keep my transformation up until we have a better idea of where we are.”

Queen Bee thrust a glowing white potion into Ladybug’s hand. “Much as I hate to share, you have been somewhat useful transformed. 

Ladybug looked to Paon as he popped the cork on a similar bottle and downed it in one gulp. “It’s called meta-essence, LB,” he said with a nod to indicate she should follow his example. “It’ll restore your Will completely and reset the earrings until you use Lucky Charm again.”

“Where have you been all my life?” she asked staring at the bottle in awe before undoing the stopper and swigging it down.  She saw Chat follow suit out of the corner of her eye.

“Thanks, Queenie,” she said as she handed back the empty bottle and got little more than an acknowledging harrumph in return.

“Well, don’t expect any more handouts,” the blonde said, flinging her ponytail over her shoulder. “I’ve only got one bottle left and I’m not about to use that on anyone but moi.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes before walking slowly over to Chat. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You okay, Chaton?”

He shrugged noncommittally but did not shirk from her touch.

“I may not be so good at talking,” Ladybug started as she gave him a soft squeeze. “But I’m a pretty good listener if _you_ need to.”

He laughed softly and finally swung his gaze to look her in the eye. “Thanks, my Lady. I’ll keep that in mind. We should probably figure out our next steps first though. I feel a little too out in the open for deep conversation.”

She nodded and started to slip her hand from his shoulder. Before she could, he grabbed her hand in his, careful not to scratch her with his claws, and placed a light kiss to the back of her hand.

Ladybug felt herself flush and thanked the creator that her mask hid a moderate amount of her face.

Queen Bee cleared her throat loudly in a deliberate attempt to draw the pair’s attention, causing them to jump in surprise. “If you two are done, might I suggest we continue the hunt for the White Rabbit?”

Chat’s cheeks turned a light pink to match Ladybug’s as the two took a few steps away from each other. Ladybug didn’t watch where she was going and stumbled over a small boulder. After a comedic second of arm flailing, she landed squarely on her butt, scattering pebbles in her wake. The boulder she’d hit gave a disgruntled huff as it stood and crawled slowly away on all fours.

Queen Bee rolled her eyes as she unsheathed her rapier and began to walk towards the sound of the waterfall. Paon coughed loudly to cover the laugh that started to escape his mouth, before he and Chat simultaneously offered their hands to Ladybug to help pull her up. She brushed them both off without looking either in the face, her blush deepening to match her mask.

 

)(*^%$#@!

 

Though the waterfall sounded close, it took the group over an hour to reach it. Despite their rocky start, Paon and Chat found common interests that kept them happily chatting and laughing together during the trek. Meanwhile, Ladybug and Queen Bee walked as far apart from each other as the fog would allow and didn’t speak a single word to each other.

As they finally got close enough to see the waterfall, Chat’s ears twitched. “Watch out!” he sprang forward and pushed Queen Bee out of the way as a humongous boulder fell from the sky seemingly out of nowhere.

“Run!” he yelled as he scrambled quickly to his feet, pulling Queen Bee with him. 

The group broke into a forward sprint as two more boulders crashed down in the vicinity they’d just been standing in.

“I see a gap in the fall!” Paon yelled. The four changed their trajectory slightly, aiming for the black sliver that promised cover from overhead attack. One by one, they ducked into an alcove in the cliff face hidden behind the curtain of water.

As the group stared towards the gap in the fall they’d come through, flute music began to play softly behind them, enveloping them in a drowsy warmth. Before any of them could so much as turn around to face the mysterious piper, all four slumped to the ground in mystical slumber.

 

)(*^%$#@!

 

Ladybug woke with a start and sat up so quickly she felt her head spin.

“Girl, I was starting to think my ballad was too strong,” came a friendly voice from nearby.

Resisting her instinct to whip her head towards the source, Ladybug carefully turned to face a girl who was unmistakably their fifth and final teammate; the wielder of the fox miraculous.

She had long, wavy brown hair that was dyed white at the tips. A pair of fox ears, which swiveled slightly back and forth monitoring for approaching enemies even as the girl stayed focused on her stirring captives, poked through a black hat perched at a jaunty angle on her head. The girl’s molten amber eyes shown bright with curiosity and a hint of humor that was echoed in her fanged smirk. She wore an orange and white domino mask that complemented the white corset, orange short sleeved undershirt, and long black gloves that covered her torso. She also sported a similarly-themed bustle skirt, tight white pants, and black thigh-high, lace up boots. A fox tail charm was secured firmly around the girl’s neck by a black ribbon. Ladybug also thought she spied the end of a wooden flute protruding from the girl’s back and a long, bushy, orange and white tail gently swinging from side-to-side behind her.

“Sorry about the forced naptime,” the girl continued. “You guys startled me when you burst through the falls.”

By this time, Chat, Queen Bee, Paon, and Ladybug were all awake and staring apprehensively at the newcomer.

“The name’s Rena Rouge,” she said with an exaggerated bow. “The Cat told me I’d be bumping into other Miraculous users sooner or later. I’m glad it’s the former rather than the latter.”

“Same,” Ladybug finally said as she got to her feet and dusted herself off. “I’m Ladybug,” she continued as she gestured to herself. “That’s Chat Noir, Paon, and Queen Bee,” she pointed everyone out as she went through a brief roll call.

Paon and Queen Bee stared slightly agape at their new playmate. Chat reached over and used his index fingers to push both their mouths shut before drool could start leaking out. He was just grateful that the new fox miraculous wielder looked nothing at all like Lila.

“How long have you been holed up here?” Ladybug asked.

“Since yesterday,” Rena replied. “I needed a rest before figuring out a plan of attack for those falling boulders.”

“Do you know what’s dropping them?” Ladybug, ever the strategist, questioned.

Rena let out a bark of laughter. “Straight to business with you, huh?"

Ladybug had the decency to blush then shrugged nonchalantly. “We just charged up our transformations, so I figured we can play catch up later in favor of moving on as soon as possible.”

“Not a criticism, girl,” Rena said, nodding sagely. “I’m more than happy to follow your lead. This area is full of Army Ants and, ironically enough, akumatized Ladybugs. Both are excellent boulder dropping suspects.”

“Think you can talk to your fellows and tell them to _lighten_ up on the giant rocks?” Chat asked, turning towards Ladybug with a shit-eating grin affixed to his face.

“Ha. Ha. Ha. Guess blondes really do have more fun,” Ladybug deadpanned. She turned to face the waterfall and focused on the problem at hand. “Paon, any chance your fan can dispel this fog?”

“Sure thing, LB!” he replied with two thumbs up.

“Excellent,” Ladybug continued. “Hard to fight an enemy we can’t see. Once we can _spot_ the Ladybugs - shut up, Chat, that was not intentional - we can knock them out of the air with our long-range weapons. If Army Ants are also dropping boulders, then they must be pushing them down from the top of the cliff face. In that case, we’ll just have to dodge the boulders as best we can until we can make it up there and take them out.”

“Is she always this bossy?” Queen Bee asked after a moment of stunned silence.

“Jealous much?” Paon replied with a snort. “Queen Bee’s plans are always somewhere between non-existent and half-baked,” he told the rest of the group in explanation for his laughter.

“I think I’m going to love working with you, Miss Bug Lady,” Rena said with a wide smile.

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “I think QB, Paon, and I should handle the Ladybugs. Rena and Chat will handle the Army Ants.” She turned to face the pair. “Based on what I’ve seen of Chat’s Miraculous abilities, I’m guessing you two will be the fastest at scaling the cliff.”

Rena and Chat quickly sized each other up. Curt nods and a fist bump cemented their partnership.

“Perfect,” Ladybug clapped her hands together and turned to the other two. “When we run out of here, we’ll need to get a fair distance from the cliff base. Any boulders being pushed over from up top won’t have a _ton_ of range - seriously, Chat? How can one person love puns this much? - 50 feet or so and we should be in the clear.”

“Right-o, Ladyboss!” Paon said with a cheerful salute at the same time that Queen Bee crossed her arms with a “Fine, whatever, can we do this already?”

“Got all our supplies?” Ladybug checked, slinging the Elder’s backpack onto her shoulders.

The rest of the party patted various pockets before giving an affirmatory nod.

“Grab your toys!” she said as she unhooked her yo-yo. 

Queen Bee slid the small dodo-shaped croquet mallet from her belt and it immediately grew in length. Paon took his fan in hand and splayed it open, ready to disperse the fog and throw razor tipped quills after. Chat unclipped his baton and extended it to the length of a saber. Rena idly checked the sharpness of her claws.

“On your mark,” Ladybug said positioning herself behind Paon. “Get set… Go!” 

Paon surged through the gap in the falls and gave a mighty sweep of his fan as he ran forward to a safe distance and yelled, “Gust!” A large burst of wind erupted outwards and blew the fog away to reveal a large lake, into which the waterfall spilled, and a surrounding forest. Ten ladybugs the size of bulldogs and carrying large rocks hovered overhead. The oversized insects froze, startled by the sudden disappearance of cloud cover.

Ladybug and Queen Bee were on Paon’s heels and began to attack as soon as they were out of range of the cliff wall and the ladybugs were visible. Three electrified croquet balls popped out of thin air and Queen Bee expertly whacked them in rapid succession at the unsuspecting insects. All three of her targets dissipated in a burst of light when the croquet balls hit home. Ladybug managed to lasso four with one sling and pulled her yo-yo taught enough to bring the bugs smashing together in an explosion of chitin and guts. The rocks all seven bugs had been carrying crashed harmlessly to the ground.

The final three ladybugs recovered from their shock enough to begin to approach the trio, but before they moved more than a foot forward, Paon gave another swipe of his fan. A spray of peacock quills were released and speared through the oncoming enemies. The dead ladybugs (and their rocks) smashed to the earth.

Meanwhile, Rena and Chat used outcroppings in the cliff face and their supercharged jumping abilities to hop their way to the top of the cliff face whilst avoiding the boulders raining from above.

There were only five Army Ants waiting at the top when the two finished the climb. With two quick swipes, Rena sliced the heads off of the two closest to her before they could draw their secondary weapons. Chat extended his baton and used it to sweep the remaining three off of the cliff edge. He turned to Rena and began holding up a finger for each second that passed before they heard the sickening thunks of high-velocity insect-on-rock impact. She shot him a broad grin, nodding appreciatively at the four fingers he had on display.

After checking to make sure the area was clear of all threats, Ladybug called out, “Everyone still alive?”

Rena and Chat approached the cliff edge. “Aw, you do care!” Chat yelled back.

Ladybug rolled her eyes and walked back to the base of the cliff. “Just be a dear and secure your baton, please. I want to take the express route up.”

After a brief moment of confusion, Rena gestured for him to shove the baton into a crack in the cliff face so that it would jut horizontally out over the void. He complied, using a fist-sized rock to hammer the baton firmly into place.

Ladybug threw her yo-yo upwards and watched with satisfaction as it wound tightly around the makeshift camming device. She gave a few forceful tugs to check the stability of the baton before turning to Queen Bee and Paon. “All aboard! And watch your hands,” this second bit was directed at Queen Bee whose prior groping offense had not been forgotten. 

Queen Bee stuck her tongue out at Ladybug before she and Paon wrapped their arms around her as best as possible to ensure everyone was secure.  As soon as they were in place, Ladybug began to retract her string and all three were pulled up to the top of the cliff. Rena and Chat helped to tug the trio over the edge.

“There’s that team spirit I’ve been waiting to see,” the Cat’s voice spoke from thin air.

“If you can’t beat ‘em…” Rena said with a smirk.

“Although you kinda did,” Paon finished with a laugh.  Rena turned her brilliant smile on him and his dark skin flushed.

The Cat faded into being, an un-amused expression plastered on his face. “Purrhaps I’m starting to regret my decision to bring you all together.”

“I certainly am,” Queen Bee chimed in.

The Cat’s tail twitched before he blinked out of existence; gone as suddenly as he’d arrived.

Chat and Rena’s ears swiveled in the same direction simultaneously.  

“Someone is bawling over by that pond,” Rena said as she pointed towards a just barely visible body of still water. She slid her flute from behind her back.

Weapons at the ready, the group moved forward, careful to keep an eye out for more hostiles. As they neared the pond, a monstrous figure took shape. A creature with the body of a turtle sans shell and the head of an ox stood sobbing on the bank.

“Oh, stop that wailing, won’t you?” snapped Queen Bee when they were within speaking range of the beast. It jolted in surprise and paused in its wailing long enough to eye them critically. 

“How would you feel if you were left naked and vulnerable in the middle of a forest?” the creature replied, tears resuming their steady course down his face.

“No one answer that,” Ladybug shot her comrades a deadly look. “Did you happen to see the White Rabbit come this way?” she asked, turning back to the inconsolable creature.

“No,” he hiccupped between sobs. “But I know where Caterpillar is. He’ll definitely know the way to the rabbit.”

“Excellent!” Ladybug clapped her hands together. “If you’ll just point out the way…”

“An eye for an eye,” the beast said in reply. “I’ll tell you where Caterpillar is if you’ll help me get my shell back from the Duchess before she devours it.”

“Or,” Queen Bee started as she stepped forward and raised her croquet mallet in warning. “You could tell us where Caterpillar is before I club you.”

“Chill, dude,” Paon said as he put an arm on the blonde to hold her back.

“Deal,” Ladybug offered a hand for the creature to shake. He stopped crying immediately.

“Great!” he said as he awkwardly shoved a flipper into the proffered hand. “I’m the Mock Turtle. Pleased to have run into you all. The Duchess is just down the river. Follow me!”

He began to lumber towards a sizeable lily pad floating near the mouth of the stream flowing from the pond. A second similar sized lily pad waited behind the first.

The group trailed quickly after him and followed his example, clambering atop the pseudo-raft. “Tally-ho!” cried the Mock Turtle once the Miraculous five were situated. He used a flipper to push off from the bank and began to drift upstream. Chat used his baton in a similar manner to get their craft moving. 

The pads gathered speed quickly, and soon the odd caravan was travelling at a rapid clip. Chat continued to use his baton to steer clear of the bank and the odd root or rock that tried to impede their journey.

When they reached the third bend in the river, they spied several ladybugs with boulders at the ready. With a quick swipe of his fan, Paon speared them from the sky. Distracted by the aerial enemies, the group missed movement coming from a couple of giant roses along the bank.

Ladybug saw large, brown projectiles flying towards their lily pad in her peripheral vision just in time to spring to the front of the pad and use her swinging yo-yo as a shield. Rena played a shrill arpeggio and a spray of light burst from the end of her flute, vaporizing the flowers and the next round of thorns they’d been poised to throw.

“We need to cover all our sides, and the Mock Turtle, while Chat steers,” Ladybug said, mentally berating herself for the near miss.

Everyone except Chat moved to the center of the lily pad and turned to face outward. The circular formation allowed 360-degree coverage of the area.

For the next 20 minutes four of the Miraculous users battled the occasional adversary while Chat battled the rapids and tried to keep the pad as steady as possible.

“If this doesn’t end soon, I might hurl,” Rena said exasperated.

“You may regret that wish,” Chat replied as he scrambled to dig his baton into the soft river bed and slow their craft.

The group turned forward and watched in horrified fascination as the Mock Turtle’s lily pad disappeared over the edge of a very large waterfall. The creature seemed completely unperturbed by the perilous circumstances.

“Fuck me,” Chat Noir muttered as his baton continued to be ineffectual at preventing their inevitable tumble into the waiting abyss.

“Ask me again if we survive this fall,” Rena choked out with a nervous laugh.

“Get in line,” Queen Bee croaked. “Paon…”

“No!” Ladybug cried out. “Don’t use your fan, Paon! The Mock Turtle didn’t do anything to prevent the fall. Somehow it must be safe.”

“Hope you’re right about this, my Lady,” Chat gave up trying to hold the pad back from the fall and retracted his baton.

A second later, the whole crew spilled over the edge and plunged into the unknown.

 

)(*^%$#@!

 

The fall wasn’t as great a distance as it seemed from the top. The five landed with a loud splash in a body of water at the base of the falls and quickly scrabbled to the shore. 

“Well, cross that one off the fuck it list,” Paon said gasping for air. He lay on his back, gazing up at the sky as if it were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. 

“My hair!” Queen Bee screeched as she pulled a few hunks of algae from her blonde tresses before wringing out her sopping wet ponytail.

Ladybug, Chat, and Rena were already up and surveying the area. The Mock Turtle had moved to the steps of a mansion on the opposite lakeshore. He appeared to be conversing with a chameleon standing guard outside the front door.

After taking another minute to recover, the group continued after the Mock Turtle.

“Welcome, welcome!” greeted the chameleon. “The Mock Turtle tells me that you’ve come to free us from the Duchess! My name is Bill McGill. You all can call me Larry. This here used to be my home, but the Duchess took it over a decade or so ago and I’ve been playing indentured servant ever since. Anything you need to get rid of her, I’m your guy.”

“Is the Duchess in right now?” Ladybug asked.

“She’s in the kitchen as we speak. Trying her best to remember the recipe for Mock Turtle Soup,” Larry answered. “She ain’t been so right in the head since her akumitazation.”

“Well then, we better hurry in,” Ladybug said. “No shell. No Caterpillar.”

“That’s right!” chimed in the Mock Turtle.

“Don’t suppose you’ll be fighting with us?” Queen Bee scoffed.

“Why, without my shell, I’m as defenseless as a newborn Jubjub bird,” he said aghast. 

“Back before you can recite ‘Jabberwocky,’” Ladybug told Bill and the Mock Turtle before ushering the rest of the Miraculous users inside and shutting the door with a firm snap behind them.

The mansion was eerily silent as they made their way towards the kitchen, guided by the enhanced sense of smell of the Fox and Cat Miraculouses. Upon entering the room, it quickly became apparent that the Duchess had either re-located or had vacated the premises entirely.

The kitchen was obscenely large. A gigantic pot bubbled away on the stovetop. There were various half-chopped ingredients strewn haphazardly over the countertops that lined the entire room. Ladybug studiously avoided looking at a fire that was happily burning away in a fireplace on the opposite wall from where they’d entered. A circular stone table stood in the center of the room and a jack in the box appeared to be perched at its center.

“New toy,” Ladybug murmured under her breath. She cautiously made her way towards the table and snatched the would-be weapon. She aimed it away from her comrades and gave an experimental crank of the handle. Jack immediately began to swivel his head from side to side, a jet of flame spouting from the toy’s open grin.

Ladybug immediately cried out, dropping the toy. As she stumbled backwards, Chat rushed to her side. She fell into his arms and buried her head in his chest. Her breaths came in heavy pants and he could feel her shaking.

“What’s wrong, Bugaboo?” he asked. He tightened his grip on her and looked at the Jack Bomb in bewilderment.

“I… can’t…” he heard her muffled reply. “…Fire…”

He began to rub small circles on her back in an attempt to soothe her and end the shudders wracking her small frame. “It’s okay, LB. Someone else can handle it.”

He looked over his shoulder to see Rena, Queen Bee, and Paon staring back at him, completely flabbergasted by Ladybug’s sudden change in demeanor.

“How do you feel about flames, Foxilicious?” he asked.

“Positively. As long as they aren’t directed at me,” Rena replied when she got over her shock. She moved stealthily towards the fallen toy and picked it up gingerly. She turned the weapon over in her hands a few times. “Looks like it can function long range too. There’s a button here with a little bomb symbol on it. I’m guessing if I press it, explosives will fly out of the mouth instead of the flames.”

Ladybug’s breathing was steadier now and she seemed to have regained her composure. She pushed away from Chat to reveal flushed cheeks. She purposefully avoided the inquisitive eyes of her comrades. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the pantry door banged open and the Duchess flew out in a rage.

Even at a distance it was apparent that the royal towered over them. She wore a long white gown that was covered in all manner of grime and soot, complemented by an equally dirty, though still regal, headdress and veil. She grimaced ferociously at the intruders and took several slow threatening steps forward. As one, the Miraculous users noticed that she wielded a giant pepper mill in her mammoth right hand.

Everything stilled for one beat and then, before any of the heroes could blink, the Duchess was upon Rena, who happened to be nearest the pantry door. None of the five expected the Duchess to be so quick on her feet.

She clubbed Rena with the pepper mill and sent her sprawling over the rough stone floor. She then proceeded to sprinkle the downed girl with pepper before snatching her up and bringing her towards her mouth, teeth gnashing in preparation to bite. Rena was bleeding from a gash on her head and coughing violently from the spice. She seemed a little disoriented and was too feeble in her efforts to escape the Duchess’s grasp.

Ladybug threw her yo-yo out and managed to lasso it around the wounded fox. With a sharp tug, she was able to jerk Rena free and Chat jumped forward in time to catch her before she hit the floor again.

The Duchess was already on the move, sprinting towards the trio without hesitation and spraying coarse pepper grounds in her wake. Paon and Queen Bee started to pelt her with razor quills and electrified croquet balls, but the projectiles seemed to bounce harmlessly off of her highness. However, the assault was enough to pull her attention away from Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Rena, and she turned menacingly towards the peacock and bee before resuming her sprint at double speed.

Queen Bee tossed her croquet mallet into her left hand and slid her rapier from her belt as she stepped into a defensive stance in front of Paon. Paon waved his fan back and forth behind her to prevent the Duchess from spraying them with pepper. Infuriated, the Duchess closed the distance and raised her pepper mill to strike. As she swung, Queen Bee raised her mallet and rapier to deflect the blow and continued to parry the Duchess’s rapid-fire attacks.

“Any time would be a great time to hear your plan for taking this cannibal down, Ladybug!” Queen Bee yelled. She and Paon were slowly being backed into a wall by the Duchess’s unceasing, wild blows.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug cried with an upward throw of her yo-yo. Five red, black-spotted gas masks fell out of the air and into her grasp.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with these?” she murmured to herself as she began to scan the room quickly. _‘Rena’s flute and Jack Bomb. The chimney. Queen Bee. Paon’s fan… got it!’_

By this point, Queen Bee and Paon had their backs pressed against the wall. Queen Bee was using her weapons to push against the pepper mill, but she was continuing to lose ground as her tired arms began to shake and bend from the force the Duchess was exerting. Her royal teeth were snapping closer and closer to Queen Bee’s face. 

“Queenie, use Royal Jelly to seal her mouth, then get your butts over here! Paon, get ready to use Feather Flight!” Ladybug yelled. She turned to Chat and Rena. “Put these masks on fast. Chat, I need you to Cataclysm the chimney and then come back here. Rena, as soon as we’re in the air, mirage some mirrors around the Duchess.”

“I need some space, Paon,” Queen Bee gritted out. He somersaulted out from behind her and upon standing gave a mighty sweep of his fan with a cry of “Gust!” He succeeded in knocking the Duchess back a few steps with the wind that billowed out.

“Royal Jelly,” Queen Bee muttered quickly after stashing her weapons. A thick, viscous substance began to flow from her fingers. She moved her hands in a circular motion to collect the fluid in a waxy ball. When the Duchess regained her balance and turned to face them again, Queen Bee threw the golden ball straight at the lower half of her enraged face.

The ball exploded, covering the Duchess’s mouth. She made several attempts to pull the goop off to no avail. As she flailed, Queen Bee and Paon ran to Ladybug and Rena and donned the proffered gas masks handed to them upon arrival.

“Feather Flight,” Paon said. His fan expanded to the size of the lily pad they had ridden downstream and hovered a foot off the ground, awaiting further command.

In the meantime, Chat tore over to the chimney and with a quick “Cataclysm!” destroyed the ancient brickwork. Without an outlet, smoke began to fill the kitchen. He skittered back to his waiting groupmates and jumped onto Paon’s lingering fan. As soon as he was aboard, the fan took to the ceiling and Rena began to play a melody that sounded much too jovial for their current situation.

Light shot out from the end of her flute and bounced around the room creating a circle of mirrors with the Duchess at the center. The smoke was fairly thick on the ground at this point.

Ladybug gestured to the thigh pouch Rena had stashed the Jack Bomb in. Rena removed the new toy and attempted to hand it to Ladybug, but the girl shook her head vigorously and back away as best she could without falling off of the fan. She proceeded to act out the process of throwing grenades to get the next phase of her plan across.

Rena’s eyes lit up when the charades clicked. She proceeded to toss bombs to the ground below, aiming them at random areas beyond the mirrors.

Drawn by the explosions and encumbered by smoke, the Duchess ran blindly towards where she guessed her prey were. As she approached a mirror, she would be spurred on by the vague outline of her reflection and would charge through the illusionary glass only to come out on the other side even more enraged. After repeating this process three or four times, she became fed up and sprayed pepper randomly in all directions, hoping to incapacitate anyone left on the ground.

Her plan backfired. The combination of smoke and pepper began to make her sneeze and cough violently. With a great big “Achoo!” the back of her head burst in a shower of skull fragments and bloody chunks of brain. Her body fell back, slamming into the ground so forcefully that the whole mansion shook.

Rena’s remaining mirrors, popped out of existence and a chorus of beeps sounded in the sudden silence.

Paon guided the fan back to the ground. Once everyone had disembarked, the fan shrunk, and he used it to clear away some of the smoke. Gas masks were hastily removed and shoved into Ladybug’s waiting hands. 

“Miraculous Ladybug!” she yelled, throwing them into the air. Her magical healing swarm surged out. Not only did it fix the damage to the kitchen, but  it healed Rena’s head wound. The Duchess’s body also disappeared.

“I wonder where she went,” Chat said giving the air a sniff and swiveling his ears around to investigate.

“Probably sent back to her own home, healed and whole,” Ladybug guessed with a shrug.

Larry and the Mock Turtle came bursting into the kitchen.

“O frabjous day!” cried Larry.

“Callooh! Callay!” responded the Mock Turtle, whose shell had been returned to his body. Another round of beeps ricocheted around the kitchen.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Larry exclaimed as he shook each heroes hand in turn. “You must be exhausted after traveling here and freeing my home from her highness. I insist that you stay at least one night to recoverate!”

Six pairs of eyes turned to Ladybug.  “We would be very grateful for a safe place to stay the night,” she said.

“Most excellent!” Larry said, clapping his hands together. “The Mock Turtle and I will ready the rest of the house and meet you in the parlor for tea in twenty parsnips.”

The two bowed out of the room, leaving the Miraculous users on their own. They glanced at each other nervously as another round of beeps sounded.

“Well,” Queen Bee snapped. “I don’t suppose there’s any sense in hiding our identities from each other.”

“How do you figure?” Rena asked.

“Got any loved ones you need to protect?” Queen Bee said, eyeing her carefully. 

The fox gazed off into the middle distance and shook her head no. Everyone else in the circle stayed silent; a quiet confirmation that, aside from each other, they were all alone in the world for one reason or another.

Not wanting to belabor the process, a soft murmur went around the circle as transformations were dropped.

As soon as the colorful, blinding lights faded and everyone had opened their eyes to see their teammates un-masked, there came a loud screech and rush of movement as the girl who was no longer Queen Bee tackled a stunned, “ADRIKINS!” to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woof. Another doozy of a chapter. Sorry it took me so freaking long to write it. I started residency in July and have been struggling to motivate myself to write in my downtime, but I'm feeling reinvigorated by the couple comments and kudos recently sent my way. 
> 
> As a special treat, here is a link to some "drawings" I did of Rena Rouge and Ladybug! I can't actually draw. I use a trace and tweak method, hence the quotation marks. This Wonderland has a decidedly steampunk vibe, which is where I got the inspiration for Rena's design.
> 
> Anyhoo, thank you for your patience. Next up, Chapter 9: Sit Crooked, Talk Straight. I have basic outlines for the remaining chapters, so hopefully it'll only take me a week or two to churn them out from now on.


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